She Will Be Loved
by viper209n
Summary: KR's love life takes a dramatic turn.
1. Wonderful Surprise

**Finally, this story has begun! I hope everyone enjoys reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.**

_I wasn't looking for it  
I wasn't ready for the rain_

Wonderful Surprise – Shawn Hlookoff

July 7. The day began like any other. Kelly woke up and ran a mile on her treadmill. The run was followed by a hot shower. While in the shower, she thought. She thought about everything. At this point in her life, she had acquired what many would consider success.

At the moment, she was an actress on a hit television show with tons of other opportunities waiting to be taken. It sounded cliché, but what was the point of being successful if you have no one to share it with.

Although she enjoyed the quiet, no doubt about it, she could not deny that her house was a little lonely. As she allowed the conditioner to set, she considered the solutions to her predicament. Maybe a dog. Or even fish, anything to add some life to her home. Once completely clean, she stepped out of the shower, covering herself in a fluffy towel.

Today was the first day on the set of her new project. 'The O.C.' had a small break in filming for two weeks and she had fit this project perfectly so the beginning of work would begin during that break. As she and the rest of the cast participated in the read through, she became acquainted to the faces of those she would be working with for the next few months. She was trying to put faces with the names when a certain person caught her eye.

His name was Aaron Taylor and she had heard things about him. Rachel Bilson had spoken of him on the set of 'The O.C.' before and, according to what she was saying, Aaron Taylor was the next big thing. Kelly had read in a magazine that he had been linked to Paris Hilton. He had classic good looks; his hair was a full, wavy chestnut brown and his eyes were a deep, lively russet color. He had a gorgeous smile and, according to what she heard, an amazing body. He was ten years her junior, she reminded herself. Even so, she could not deny that he was attractive. Really attractive. Chiseled jaw line, oh-so-subtle dimples…

She mentally reprimanded herself. For all she knew, he was dating Paris Hilton. However, she could not stop herself from gazing at him. Suddenly, he looked up and she was caught. Her first reaction should have been to look away and turn her attention back to where it should be. But he was not looking away and neither could she. Someone cleared their throat. Kelly searched the room and then looked down at the script. She realized that it was her line. She stammered as she read her part. She looked back up at Aaron who was smiling at her. He had a gorgeous smile. She looked away, cheeks burning. The rest of the read through went by without any other problems. Kelly practically refused to look up again until it was over. She grabbed her stuff and began to head toward the door. Suddenly, a body slid in front of her.

"Hi. I'm Aaron," he introduced himself and held out his hand. Kelly slid her hand into his.

"I'm Kelly." He smiled at her.

"It's nice to meet you."

"You too." She kept eye contact to a minimum, still embarrassed. She assumed he was here to tease her about the incident during the read through.

"Say, you wouldn't be interested in having lunch with me, would you?"

"Uh..." She hadn't seen that coming. "Well…"

"It's okay. I'm sure you're busy." He had such a look of sincerity in his eyes as he spoke. "I'm looking forward to working with you."

As he left, Kelly couldn't help but continue to think about his smile. It was so… something. She could not think of the right word. It was gorgeous. His teeth were perfectly straight and pristinely white. But it was something else she could not put her finger on.

Every day the next week she went to work and every day that week he asked if she'd like to go out. Every time she came up with an excuse.

Friday night she lay in bed wondering why she kept saying no. Did she not just say to herself that she was lonely? She had considered a golden retriever. Why not Hollywood's golden boy? But he was so young and she wasn't so young anymore. Did he even know that? Sure, she looked better for than many other women her age did. But could Aaron Taylor really think she was his age?

She thought of Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher. They had a large age difference and they were successfully married. She shook the thoughts from her head. She was putting the cart before the horse. He had asked for lunch, not her hand in marriage. She decided to say yes Monday when he asked her to lunch.

Monday came and she actually felt giddy. But Monday ended and no invite. She had seen Aaron once that day. He had smiled that smile at her and that was all.

The next day she decided to confront him. He spotted her coming across the room. She had to notice his sudden change in demeanor. He looked a little intimidated actually.

"Hey," she started the conversation.

"Hey."

"Do you not eat lunch on Mondays?"

"What?" He looked very confused.

"Well, you didn't ask yesterday if I'd like to go to lunch."

"Well, I asked five days in a row with five 'no's in a row as the response so I figured I'd do you a favor and take the hint," he sounded amused.

"Haven't you ever heard the sixth time's the charm?"

He laughed and she smiled. "No. I've never heard that."

"Well, your loss, I guess. I would have said yes," she began to walk away, smiling at her game. He followed after her as she hoped he would.

"Kelly," he called as he gently held her arm and slid in front of her. "What about today? Do you eat lunch on Tuesdays?"

"Why, yes, I do."

"With me? Will you eat on a Tuesday with me?" Kelly managed to hide her smile..

"I should check my schedule."

"_Kelly_."

"Yes. I would love to eat with you." Her heart jumped when he smiled larger than normal.

"My car's in Lot A."

She could tell he was excited. She could hear it in his voice even though his face didn't show it. His excitement was contagious and she could feel her blood rushing a bit faster because of him. He led the way to his car. When they arrived at his Jeep, Aaron was the perfect gentleman, opening the passenger door and helping her step inside.

"So… where to?" Aaron asked as he prepared to pull out of the lot. "You pick. I don't know much about L.A. restaurants."

"Oh. Well… McAllister's is pretty good. One of my favorites."

"I actually know where that is." He said as he turned right. "I've never been though. What kind of food do they serve?"

"Oh, a little bit of everything."

"Score." For some reason, the way he said that one word caused her to giggle. Aaron smiled as he heard her laugh. When they arrived, Aaron moved toward Kelly's door to open it for her. However, she had already begun exiting. He offered his hand to her, which she took willingly, and helped her step down from the automobile. The restaurant was crowded but surprisingly quiet.

Aaron and Kelly were seated outside.

"I didn't realize you were new to L.A."

"I'm not that new."

"Oh. I just assumed because you said you didn't know the restaurants."

"I usually eat at home. If I do eat out, it's usually a quick drive through," he explained.

Their waiter came to get their drink order.

"Water with lemon," she told the young guy.

Aaron looked up. "I'll have the same, actually."

"The same? Copy cat," Kelly teased.

"Hey. Did it ever occur to you that maybe I had planned early on to get water and you copied me?" He threw it back at her.

"Nope. That never occurred to me," she stated smugly, causing him to smile.

Within just a few moments, their drinks were delivered

Aaron sipped on his water. "So do you like wearing the pants in the relationship?" He questioned.

"What?"

"You know, having all the control."

"I know what it means. Um… not necessarily. I'm a believer in fifty-fifty control, more or less. That's not all that accurate either; I don't care much for the word 'control'. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I asked you five times in a row to go out with me and you said no. Then I go one day without asking and _you_ ask me." He eyed her suspiciously. "Now either you wanted to wear the pants and instigate our first outing," He said 'outing', not 'date', she noted. "Or you just wanted attention. I don't really have much faith in the latter so…" He allowed his voice to trail off for Kelly's explanation.

"I just ran out of excuses to not eat lunch with you," she was looking at her water.

"Excuses?"

"Yeah."

"Why would you need excuses?"

"Well, now I'm going to feel embarrassed. I was under the silly impression that we would be on a date but…"

"We aren't?"

"I don't know. Are we?"

"I certainly hope so. That's what I want this to be." Kelly looked at him in disbelief and awe. "What's that look for?"

"A few things. Number one would be the way you opened up just now. When this conversation started I thought we'd have twenty minutes of cat-and-mouse before we finally officially labeled this lunch outing. But, within twenty seconds, you told me what you wanted."

"Life is only so long. I can't just wait, hoping I eventually get what I want. I have to get it for myself."

"And what is it that you want?"

"Right now, I really would like to get to know you." Kelly once again was staring at him. "There's that face again! What did I do now? Do you just hate honesty?"

"It's actually the second reason I gave you this look earlier. You asked me on this date and you want to get to know me."

"Isn't that the usual reason for dates?" His voice held amusement.

"Yeah, but why me?"

"Why you?" He sounded honestly baffled.

"Yeah. You can have any girl you want. Why waste your time with me?" She was looking deep into his eyes, searching for her answer.

"Any girl I want?" He chuckled before thinking and then cutting his eyes at Kelly, nodding toward her. "What happens if you're the girl I want? I can just have ya?" He chuckled again before returning to a serious expression. "Waste of time? An amazing person like yourself is not a waste of time ever."

"How would you know I'm amazing? We just met." Now she was amused.

"Because I feel like I already know you."

"How?"

"I've seen your show and…"

"Oh. You have a crush on Kirsten Cohen." She suddenly understood.

"No! I know why you would think that. Believe me. I've got fans who are horribly upset when they see me and I do not have spiky hair and lip rings like Riley Walker." Kelly recognized the name from Rachel telling her about Aaron's more recent portrayals in film. "I was going to say that I've watched you on the show and you are a phenomenal actress and clearly a hard worker. My little sister is a big fan of yours and she's had great things to say about you. It got my attention because she rarely has good things to say about anyone in our line of work." He continued. "I've seen quite a few of your other projects and I was very impressed with what you choose to participate in. I don't want to say I've got a crush on you. It's more of a deep admiration based on respect."

"Wow. I feel sheepish now," she said quietly, her fingers playing with the condensation on her glass of water.

"Don't. I just wanted to make sure you know that I'm not just some crazed fan," he chuckled.

"So if you sister's spoken of me, I assume you know my age."

"No. As far as I recall her saying, you've never established a birth year for the public."

"Well, how old are you?" She decided to turn it around.

"What a rude question. Maybe I'm sensitive about such subjects." He paused. "I am twenty-five."

"I am ten years older than you."

Aaron's eyes shifted back and forth. "Am I supposed to run away?"

"That doesn't…" She studied his warm eyes. "It doesn't bother you?"

"No," his eyes were so sincere.

The waiter stood before them ready for their order. Aaron looked at the menu one last time. He noticed the waiter's impatient demeanor.

"Um… the turkey club sandwich," he hesitated.

"What kind of bread would you like, sir?"

"Whole wheat?"

"Fruit or chips."

"Fruit."

"Would you care to add a soup or salad?"

"No, thank you."

The waiter took Aaron's menu and turned to Kelly. "The usual?"

"Yes," she answered politely.

As the waiter left, Aaron stared at Kelly, a big smile across his face. "What?" She asked, fumbling with a napkin in her lap.

"It really is your favorite restaurant."

"One of them," she sounded confused. She had no idea what the big deal was.

"You know, I've been waiting my whole life to go to a place a have a 'usual.'"

"Your whole life?" She was amused. The fact that he was even talking about her 'usual' plus the absolute amazement on his face had her giggling.

"Tell me what it's like," he was leaning toward her now. His smile was huge and his eyes danced.

"Not all it's cracked up to be," she played along, also leaning forward so he could hear her whisper.

"Really?" He absolutely loved that she was playing along.

"Well, when your order is as unique as mine, it's hard to forget."

Before they could continue, they were interrupted.

"Aaron Taylor!"

He looked up, startled. Two young girls, about 16, ran over to the fence that separated the restaurant from the sidewalk. Their words were shrieks and could not be understood. Suddenly, they both simultaneously took a deep breath.

"We should not bother you while you are eating but, omg, you are… just…our favorite ever." They struggled for words.

"I'm Jennifer," the blonde announced.

"And I'm Stacy," the brunette added.

"And you are amazing," Jennifer stated.

"And so hot," Stacy gushed.

Aaron bowed his head at the compliments and blushed. Kelly looked on in wonder, giggling at his modest blushing. He met her eyes briefly as she giggled.

"Well, thank you, ladies." Upon finally hearing him speak, the girls collapsed into giggles again.

"Can we get autographs and a picture?"

"Of course. That is, if my lunch buddy doesn't mind..." The two girls looked at Kelly, noticing her presence for the first time.

"Of course not." She answered, reaching for the camera. She took pictures of the girls separately with Aaron and then a group shot and, after that; she continued to take pictures as he signed autographs. She watched, impressed, as he interacted with the girls.

"So, Stacy and Jennifer, where are y'all from?"

"Indiana," they answered in unison.

"Cool. What brings you to California? Cheerleading competition?"

"Ew. No," Jennifer answered, causing Aaron to chuckle.

"My dad has some business thing and we had a week off from school," Stacy elaborated.

"So, after much pleading, the parental allowed us to come with them."

"You're not out shopping alone, are you?" Aaron asked.

"Oh, no. Mom's in that store." Stacy turned to point. "We just left to grab ice cream from the place next door."

"Oh, okay. What flavor?"

The girls giggled again. "Chocolate chip cookie dough," Jennifer declared.

"Vanilla," Stacy answered.

"Boring," Jennifer told Stacy.

"Hey! Vanilla's a classic," Aaron defended with a smile.

"Thank you," Stacy said, graciously, mainly to Jennifer. However, Jennifer was subtley eyeing Aaron and Kelly. She elbowed Stacy, who quickly understood what Jennifer was silently stating. They were definitely interrupting more than lunch. Thankfully, the food arrived and Jennifer and Stacy quickly excused themselves.

"Thank you for letting us interrupt and be really annoying!" They apologized and thanked him at the same time.

"No problem," he smiled to them before sitting back down. Kelly was watching him and he knew it. He could feel her eyes on him. Aaron looked up at her, expecting her to let him have it. She did not.

"Go ahead. Give it to me."

"You were really great with them," she praised him. He shrugged. "I'm quite impressed." He was blushing again and it excited Kelly that she had done that.

"I do have a question though." He looked up at her, expecting the worst. "I try not to read tabloids-"

"Wow. That could be the worst way to start a conversation." Now he was really frightened.

"I know." Her voice was apologetic. "I couldn't help it. I bought groceries and they are right at the front." She noticed him bracing himself. "I read something about you and Paris Hilton. Did you two… date?"

He laughed, loudly. "Oh, Kelly." He continued, laughing. "Oh, no. No, definitely not. I would not touch that girl." He was still chuckling. "That whole story is one second of interaction twisted into a pretzel of bologna. My friends from home came to visit and wanted to go to a party. They knew I could get into most anything even though I never do. I'm just not a partier. But I agreed to go because they wanted to."

"Such a giver."

Aaron chuckled at Kelly's statement. "Yeah. So we went and she was there and she said hi. That was it. The room was crowded like any party. Everybody was literally running in to everyone. So when she said hi, she was like five centimeters away from me. Of course, the tabloids made it seem like we had been dancing together or doing something else. I don't know but it was seriously just a 'she said hi, I said hi back' situation."

She smiled. "That's a relief." She winked at him. "So where are you from anyway?" She felt the need to explain. "It's just your accent. It's so subtle. I can only hear it with certain words and not nearly enough so I could pinpoint it."

"Oh. I am from southern Alabama."

"Alabama? Isn't' all of Alabama southern?" She asked with a chuckle. She had not thought he was a southern boy.

"Well, of course. But where I am from, it is basically Florida."

"Ah. Isn't it incredibly hot down there?"

"Well, to someone from Canada I'm sure it's hell. But to someone from Zimbabwe, I'm sure it's heaven." She giggled.

"I see." She was silent for a moment. "I feel like you know so much about me and I know so little of you."

"You've got time," he smiled. "Let's see. My favorite color is blue. I love Taco Bell chalupas." Kelly grimaced. "I know you don't. I have a 30 year old brother and a 16 year old sister. I'm closer to her than I am to him, which is kind of odd. I played football in high school and could have played in college but did not." He was racking his brain for interesting tidbits of himself. His eyes landed back on Kelly. "And I prefer blondes." He mentioned with a smile.

"Oh, do you?" She chuckled between bites of food.

"Mmhmm," he was still smiling.

"Will you explain why you are closer to your sister than your brother? I mean, the age difference is baffling."

"What is it with you an age?" He teased.

"It's just boys usually stick together. _Plus_," she emphasized. "You are closer in age. It's an 'in addition to,'" she defended herself.

"Well, I'm not really sure. It is just kind of the way it has always been. Bobby has always had that 'I am the older brother I know all' mental attitude, which used to piss me off. Sometimes it still does." He continued. "With Megan, I'm the smart, protective older brother. I like that role. Plus, she and I are more alike than Bobby and I. We are both sarcastic jokers. Bobby's become very cranky in his old age."

"Age, again!" If he was going to call her on it, she would most definitely return the favor.

He smiled at her. "Well, the joke really is that he is not old at all. He's just being 'mature.' Not that the things Megan and I do are immature. I don't want you thinking I have the mentality of a five year old or anything." He caught her. "Age, I know!" He thought for a moment. "Really, it's Julia's fault."

"Who is Julia?"

"Bobby's wife. They got married when he was 24. She used to be a lot more laid back than she is now. I'm not quite sure what happened. She has her excuses but I doubt the majority of them." He chuckled. "Really it started when they gave birth to their twins three years ago. Then Julia started calling Bobby Robert. That was the real turning point."

Kelly was laughing again. "It sounds ridiculous but I understand what you mean." She was still giggling. "So you are an uncle?"

"Yeah. Two little girls and Bobby's oldest is a boy. I've actually got a picture," he mentioned as he reached for his wallet. He handed the picture to Kelly. It was a picture of Aaron in the pool with two little brunettes, one hanging off his arm, the other practically on his head, and a slightly older boy, who hung from the other arm. "Bobby, Jr., which was Julie's brilliant idea, Sally and Susie."

Kelly tried to keep her eyes on the children. "They are beautiful." But how could she when there was also a shirtless Aaron in the picture? The things she heard were true. He did have an incredibly toned body. She reluctantly handed the picture back to him.

"Aren't they?" He agreed as he gazed at the picture.

"You miss them."

"So much. Susie, she's my girl. Of course, Sally loves me. But Susie's an uncle's girl. Bobby's my sports guy. He can just spurt out any statistic and all the player's names," Aaron rolled his eyes with a smile.

"Megan likes being an aunt?"

Aaron chuckled as he put up the picture. "It depends. I'm far away so for me to see my nieces and nephew is a rarity. Megan is surrounded by them all the time so she doesn't cherish her time with them as I do. But she does enjoy it."

Kelly smirked to herself. She had a feeling this would hit a nerve. "Has Megan received her license yet?"

"Oh yes. Despite my best efforts against it. No, I'm joking. She's a good driver. It just makes me feel old to think that she's old enough to drive."

"Is she old enough to date?"

"Oh. Please don't rub it in. She is allowed to date, once again, despite my best efforts."

"You'll have to let go sometime," she smirked at him.

"I suppose," he smiled back.

They finished eating and Aaron returned Kelly to the lot. He drove her to her car and assisted her out of his Jeep.

"Thank you for lunch."

"Thank _you_ for finally saying yes," he smiled at her.

"I had a really good time."

He could see the sincerity in her eyes. "So did I. Maybe one night this week we can go on an actual date."

"What was this?"

"I mean, a traditional date. Dressing up some and I'd like to break twenty dollars for you."

"Only if you want to," she smiled shyly. A strand of hair fell into her face.

Aaron cautiously reached out to tuck the hair behind her ear. She shivered. "I do," he said softly. They held one another's gaze for sometime before she spoke.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Her voice was soft.

"Yup."

She got into her car and he shut the door for her. He waited until she left before he also shifted his Jeep into gear and exited the lot.

Kelly returned home and rushed to her television. She searched her movie channels and finally found one that starred Aaron. She spent her entire night buying movies he was in. She felt a strong need to catch up, to know as much about him as he did about her.

**I assure you, the chapters will pick up more momentum. This is just the beginning. ******


	2. Fearless

_I'm tryin' so hard not to get caught up now  
But you're just so cool  
Run your hands through your hair  
Absent mindedly makin' me want you_

And I don't know how it gets better than this  
You take my hand and drag me head first  
Fearless  
And I don't know why but with you I'd dance  
In a storm in my best dress  
Fearless

Fearless – Taylor Swift

She felt those high school feelings again. The excitement of being with someone new and getting to know them. The desire to spend all free time with them. To know everything about them.

For their first 'real' date, he took her to a fancy restaurant that she could tell he wasn't completely comfortable in. She watched, impressed, as he showed no sign of discomfort and focused all attention on her. While his piercing gaze had a tendency to make her blush, it also flattered her and made her feel like the most important person in the world.

Their second date she chose a restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere. Aaron wore a casual button down shirt and Kelly was sure he was more attractive in this wardrobe than when he was all prim and proper. He told so many funny stories Kelly was sure her face would be sore the next morning from laughing. They talked about their families and friends. They compared hometowns and discussed dream cars. Kelly marveled at how easy it was to talk to him. There were very few lulls in their conversations.

For their third date they went to a showing of an independent film which Aaron's friend, Jerry Davis, was in. They arrived separately and entered through different doors away from the main entrance. They casually sat next to each other and did not speak until the lights went down and the picture started. His hand reached toward her with an offering waiting inside. Kelly gathered the gift in her hand and almost immediately recognized the contents as three Hershey's kisses. She looked up at Aaron with her eyebrow slightly cocked. He simply smiled at her and turned back to the movie. A few minutes later, Kelly noticed Aaron fumbling in his pocket for something. Finally, she realized he was trying to text without being distracting. Soon, Kelly felt a vibration from her phone. Subtly, she opened the text message and read it.

'_I swear I am not being presumptuous. I wanted to bring you chocolate and grabbed M&Ms b/c everyone loves M&Ms, yes? But then I thought with your 'diet', you might not even eat M&Ms. So then I assumed just pieces of'_

Her phone vibrated again as she received part two of the message.

'_chocolate would work. Only seconds ago did I think of their name and how you may not appreciate me giving you 'kisses.' I hope I haven't made you uncomfortable or anything. I'm sorry.'_

Kelly smiled at his rambling explanation. She looked toward him to catch his eye and explain that everything was fine. However, he refused to look at her. She chuckled as she rolled her eyes and turned her attention back toward her phone.

She sent a reply saying that everything was fine. However, Aaron insisted on apologizing once the movie was over and they were alone. They had decided to grab coffee at a tiny hole-in-the-wall café.

"Honestly, I never thought about the name of the candy until then," Aaron said as he stared at the table.

Kelly could tell he was frustrated with himself. "It's okay. It was really sweet and not presumptuous at all."

"Are you sure?" He asked, finally looking up at her.

"Yes," she chuckled. "I was flattered that you went through all that trouble and worry over little old me." Now it was her who was looking down at the table.

"You're worth it." The way he said those words made her look up into his eyes which caused his lips twitch into a small smile. She could not help but smile back while a blush crept into her cheeks despite her best efforts to stop it.

"So how did you like the movie?" Aaron asked, breaking the trance.

"Mmm." Kelly mumbled through a mouthful of coffee. She swallowed before answering. "It was very good! How do you know Jerry?"

"Oh, we shared an apartment when we were first starting out. He's very talented. Actually, he's an aspiring actor, writer, director, and producer." Aaron said, rolling his eyes.

"You're not interested in writing or directing?" Kelly inquired.

"Not really. I never pictured myself a writer really. And directing..." Aaron thought about it for a moment. "I don't know. Maybe I'll get bored with acting and want to do something more but for now…" He looked at her. "Okay, scratch that. Let me be completely honest with you." He paused. "It doesn't interest me. Maybe that makes me a bad actor or whatever but I'm just not interested. I like the acting aspect and yes, it is interesting to watch the director and how the camera works and moves and all. But it's also interesting to watch," he paused to think. "How a car is put together. That's interesting. But I don't want to put together cars. And I don't really want to direct or write either." He shrugged. He knew Kelly was interested in those things and he did not want to hurt her feelings but also he did not want to lie to her.

She was giggling as she responded. "I understand." She smiled at him before shaking her head.

"What?" He asked, grinning.

"You're just…" She started before shaking her head again.

"What? I'm what? Crazy? Neurotic? Insulting? Presumptuous?" He was still smiling as he guessed.

Kelly continued to laugh. "No! You're just… cute. And sweet. And charming, endearing. Honest. You're just you." Now he was the one blushing. "That's very refreshing. To be around someone who doesn't pretend to be someone they're not."

"Well, it's easy to be myself with you." He admitted smiling at her for a moment before looking back at the table. "Sometimes I have to do a lot of pretending." Kelly noticed the change in Aaron's voice as he confessed the latter. It was the first time their conversation had ever taken a more somber turn. Kelly thought about his statement and knew where he was coming from. She knew he felt the pressure to be so many different things for so many different people. He was looked up to and wanted by hundreds of people.

"It's our job, right?" Aaron looked into Kelly's blue eyes, surprised that she understood without him having to explain. She smiled up at him.

"So, when are you going to be behind the camera?" He asked, wanting to change the subject back to a more enjoyable topic.

"Oh, I don't know." She paused. "I think I've gotten to a certain point where I think – and I don't want to sound terribly self-centered -," he shook his head to say he understood, "but I read a script and actually see how the scene would look. Like, I see how the room would be set up and what light would be used. But so often I then go to the set and it's something totally different and I'm just like…" She paused, "I don't want to be rude but I'm just thinking 'I really like my idea better. I could have done this right.'" She stopped again and looked at Aaron. "That makes me sound so terrible though."

"No! It makes you sound inspired and…" He tried to think of the best word. "Brilliant. I don't give much thought to the set or scenery. I read the script, learn the lines, and wait to be surprised. Really I'm envious. I wish I had your drive."

Kelly looked down at the table. "Why, Mr. Taylor, you are making me blush."

His heart leapt as he saw the rosy hue on her cheeks once again. Eyes dancing, he remarked, "Maybe one day you'll direct me." He smiled and she laughed.

Two days later, Kelly knocked on Aaron's trailer door.

"Come in."

She let herself into the trailer and looked up to see a shirtless Aaron in khaki cargo shorts, drying his hair with a towel. His shoulders and chest was catching droplets of water from his hair and they were racing down his body toward his shorts. Kelly was sure she was drooling.

"Oh, hey!" He smiled widely upon seeing her.

Kelly kept telling herself to quit staring at him but her eyes would not listen to her brain.

Aaron quickly followed her eyes with his own.

"Oh! Sorry," he said as he walked toward the back room of the trailer. As he reappeared, tugging a red t-shirt over his abdomen, he explained, "Me and Shawn filmed the scene in the pool today." He put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a quick hug.

"So how was your day?" he asked, pulling out a bar stool out for her.

She could only sigh loudly at the question.

"Uh oh," Aaron interrupted. "That's not a good sign." He smiled at her, leaning against the counter with a glass of water in his hands.

"It's just John." She sighed at the thought of the actor who portrayed her husband.

"Oh. I understand. I've worked with John before and he's a great actor, don't get me wrong. But he's just not the best co-worker."

"Exactly! And I don't want to be rude but sometimes… he just really irritates me."

Aaron laughed. "That's John for ya."

As he finished his water, Kelly mentioned, "I thought we could go to Mr. Chow tonight unless you have other plans."

"Kelly, do I ever have plans?" He laughed before turning to the sink to wash the cup. "You know that before we started seeing each other, I was the most boring person ever."

She smiled to herself when he mentioned them seeing each other. Sometimes, it still felt unreal. "Well, it's kind of fancy so I wasn't sure if you would want to go."

"You know I only have one suit!" He chuckled

She started to justify herself." They have great steak and I have a craving for it and..."

He interrupted. "Well, I know enough to know that when a lady wants something, I need to do my best to get it for her."

Kelly laughed out loud. "I hope I'm not like this all the time. Just making you do my bidding."

"You're not." He chuckled back. "But I'd put up with it if you were." He winked. She smiled back and stood as he grabbed his keys. They began the walk to her car as they had for the past week. He quickly took her travel bag which also contained her bag for lunch but let her carry her own purse, deciding it would be a bit demasculating otherwise.

Her left hand held her purse secure while the right relaxed by her side. She felt his hand brush against hers lightly and gently take hold of it. He held the delicate hand carefully, testing the waters. Kelly hid most of her smile but the edges of her lips twitched. She figured Aaron had been watching because he squeezed her hand ever so slightly and his hold became just a little tighter.

They reached the car and Kelly opened the trunk of her car.

"So I'll pick you up around 6:30?" He asked as he placed her bag in the trunk as she got in the driver's seat. He shut the door for her and leaned through the open window.

"Sounds good," she smiled up at him through sunglasses. Aaron smiled back at her and for a moment, she swore he was going to kiss her, to which she would not be opposed. She had wanted him to since their second date. But he did not. Instead, he leaned out of the window and waited for her to leave the lot before he followed.

She sent him a text around 6:15 saying she was not going to be completely ready at 6:30 and to come on in to her house and not wait in the car. Aaron sat in the living room waiting on her. Around 6:40, he heard the bedroom door open and he stood up. He suddenly felt his heart flutter with nervousness.

Kelly entered the living room with her hair in soft waves and a simple but stunning red dress on. It was a silky material and glowed in the light. The straps were thin and the dress stopped just an inch below her knee. The sight took Aaron's breath away.

"Wow," he breathed. Kelly smiled at him, pleased with herself. She wanted to turn the tables and receive appreciative glances from him since she had embarrassed herself earlier by staring at his bare chest and stomach.

"You look absolutely gorgeous," Aaron said, his voice still quiet.

"Thank you," Kelly kept her voice quiet as well.

"You sure it's me you want to go out with?" He chuckled.

"Who else would I want?" She flirted. Aaron smiled and looked back up and down Kelly's dress before staring straight into her eyes.

"C'mon, beautiful." He said as he put his arm out for her to loop hers through it. "Let's go."

They arrived at the restaurant in a few minutes and Aaron began to turn to find parking.

"You don't just want to give it to the valet?" Kelly inquired.

"I prefer to retain some normalcy to my life," he said as he winked. "But I can drop you off at the front." He let her out at the front door of Mr. Chow and quickly parked.

When he entered the restaurant, Kelly had already been seated and Aaron joined her. Their table was private without being totally secluded. The restaurant was quiet and a man was playing soft piano music. Occasionally, he was accompanied by a saxophonist, who kept the mood equally as peaceful. A few couples were dancing.

They spoke for a while before their meals arrived and they ate the delicious food. They shared a dessert and entered a comfortable silence. They looked into each other's eyes for what felt like a lifetime. Suddenly, Aaron began to smile and Kelly cocked her head to the side.

"What?" she asked softly.

"You are just… This might be out of line but… the way the light is hitting you… and your hair… and the dress… you are taking my breath away."

Kelly blushed and looked away for a brief moment before staring right back up at him. "If I could count the times you've made me blush…" she let her sentence trail off.

Aaron smiled back at her for a minute before looking around the room. He noticed that there were quite a few couples on the dance floor. He gazed back at Kelly who was looking into her glass of water, working the lemon with her straw.

"Kelly," she looked up into his soft brown eyes. "Would you like to dance?"

She smiled sweetly at him and looked to the dance floor. They both knew it was dangerous for them to do something so intimate in public with the media everywhere. Satisfied seeing there were enough couples for them to disappear into, she looked back up into his eyes and answered, "I'd love to."

He stood and offered her his hand, which she took and let him lead her to the dance floor.

"I'll warn you. I'm not too good at this."

She smiled, "That's okay."

"Watch your feet," he chuckled. She laughed at him as he fixed one hand on the small of her back and the other held her hand tightly. Her free arm wrapped itself on his shoulder and they began to sway to the music.

Originally, they had a safe distance between them but as the music wore on, the two became closer and closer. With eyes burning bright, staring deeply into blue and brown, Aaron placed her hand that he was holding on his shoulder and relocated his hand, joining the other on Kelly's back. His eyes asked if this was okay and Kelly's answered back that it was perfectly fine. His arms slowly pulled her closer and she decided to lay her head on his chest.

They closed their eyes as they continued to sway. She could hear his heart beat in her ear; the sound mixed with the music and produced the most beautiful harmony. He could smell her hair and her perfume. She smelled exquisite and he felt like the world was standing still. She felt chills throughout her body as his hands would gently move across her back.

He picked his head up off of hers as he felt her moving away from his chest. As she pulled back, their noses grazed and their breaths mixed. She looked up into his eyes, their faces an inch apart. The blue eyes locked with the brown and they could hear their heartbeats pounding in their ear drums.

Suddenly, applause broke through their personal silence. The song had finished and the dancing couples had clapped for the musicians. Slowly, Kelly and Aaron extracted themselves from one another and lightly joined the clapping. As the clapping subsided, Aaron rubbed Kelly's arms.

"Ready to go?" He asked softly. She nodded and felt his hand on the small of her back, leading her out of the restaurant.

They stepped out of the front door and realized that it had started to rain since they had been inside.

"The valet may have been a good idea," Aaron admitted. Kelly giggled at him.

"I'll run and get the car and come get you."

"Or I could just come with you," she offered.

Aaron looked at her for a moment like she was deranged.

"What?" she asked.

"It's just…" He paused; never had he thought she would want to run through the rain in a formal dress. "Won't it ruin the dress?"

"Maybe, but it's just a dress. And you should know that I can be impulsive."

He smiled at her and offered her his hand. "Well, c'mon. I hope you are ready to sprint because I'm making a mad dash!"

She chuckled. "I think I can handle it."

Aaron counted to three and they took off. He was holding her hand, guiding her, when he heard her yell out and stop running. He looked back to see that one of her high heels had come off of her foot.

"Running in heels might not have been the brightest idea." Aaron laughed through the rain at her. She agreed as she stooped to put the shoe back on.

"We're kind of close so I'll carry you if that's okay." He offered. "I don't want you twisting an ankle or anything."

Kelly threw her arms in the air. "I'm light as a feather," she giggled. He bent down and lifted her with ease. He smiled as he heard her squeal and laugh.

Once they reached his Jeep, he set her down and opened the door. As he set her inside the vehicle, their faces were once again inches apart. Looking at Kelly now with her hair stuck to her forehead and grinning from ear to ear, Aaron was sure it was the most gorgeous she had ever been. He wanted to lean in and kiss her but stopped himself and shut her door before moving around to get in the driver's seat.

Aaron smiled across at Kelly as water cascaded down their faces and dripped from their hair.

"How spontaneous, are we?" Kelly asked, laughing.

They arrived at Kelly's house in a few minutes and Aaron walked her to her door, despite the rain that was still steadily coming down.

"I had a great time tonight," she told him.

"Me too," he smiled. "I'd hug you but I'm soaking wet," Aaron said, motioning toward his clothes.

Kelly laughed. "Well, so am I!"

Aaron smiled at her. "Can't beat that logic!" He moved toward her and hugged her tightly. They held each other for a moment longer than usual before Aaron began to move away from her. As soon as they were far enough apart, Kelly pulled Aaron back toward her and kissed him. She could not help but kiss him with all the passion she felt for him. Her lips remained closed but the way they were pressed to his communicated to Aaron the feelings she was having.

Aaron's whole body stiffed as he felt her lips on his. It took him a few seconds to process what was happening and what he wasn't doing. He shook the confusion from his mind and kissed her back with all the passion she was kissing him with. His hands wrapped tighter around her waist and pulled her even closer.

Upon feeling Aaron reciprocate, Kelly broke apart for a breath and began to smile. He smiled back and gave her only a second to breathe before he was kissing her again. Their passion escaladed and soon their mouths parted and welcomed one another.

After breathless minutes of making out on her front porch, Kelly took her mouth away from Aaron's.

"Would you like to come in?" She spoke in a breathless whisper and it was impossible not to know what she was insinuating. She felt Aaron get very tense and his arms slowly released her.

"Uh," he searched for words. "I… I can't." He thought she knew.

"Oh," Kelly quickly moved toward the door. "Sorry."

"It's not that I…" he should not say that. "It's just I…"

"It's okay. It's fine. I'll uh, see you tomorrow at work, I guess." She fumbled with her door lock.

"Kelly, let me explain."

She turned from the door, still unable to look him in the eye. "I understand. I just thought…" She paused and finally looked at him. He looked very uncomfortable. "Never mind." She turned back and finally got the key to work.

"Kelly, wait."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Aaron." She tried to smile before walking through her door and shutting it.

Aaron waited on the door step for a minute trying to process how so much had gone wrong in such a short amount of time and after such a great night. Kelly leaned on her side of the door, not able to believe she had just been so bold. A few tears slipped down her cheeks, angering her further. She could not fathom why she was crying and that fact made her mad. She shivered and realized that she had forgotten that she was completely soaked to the bone. She got in the shower and tried to forget about what had happened on her doorstep. However, Kelly's attempts were in vain. Their incident was all she could think about. Needless to say, sleep was not very sound that night.

The next day, Kelly slowly made her way to work, in no rush to contact the awkwardness that would surely follow her for a while. Within a minute of her arrival, she heard a knock on the door of her trailer. Figuring it was better to get this over with early, she shouted for the visitor to enter.

No surprise, it was Aaron.

"Hey," she started, refusing to look at him.

"We need to talk about last night." Aaron began. "Technically, you just need to listen about last night."

"Look, Aaron, I get it. I'm fun to be around but just a little too old and boring for something else. It's okay. I'm okay with it. I just wish I had thought of that before I hauled off and shoved my tongue down your throat and then invited you in for sex."

Aaron looked at her like she was insane. "Too old and boring, huh? Why are you so hung up on that? Did I not kiss you back? Was my tongue not down your throat?"

"Aaron, look. I don't deal with rejection well. At least not right away so please just…"

Before she could finish, Aaron put his hands on her face and kissed her in such a way that made her knees go weak.

"I guess it's a good thing I am not rejecting you then."

Kelly was breathless as she replied, "You are really confusing me."

"I am very interested in you, Kelly. I think about you constantly. I want to make you happy. I want to kiss you. But there's something you apparently don't know about me that I thought you did."

"How would I know something you did not tell me?"

"Well, any article you could read about me…"

She snapped at him. "Do you really want me getting to know you through interviews and talk shows?"

"No, of course, not. I just, if you knew anything about me before now, I figured…" Kelly looked at him, oblivious. "I can't have sex. I mean, I can. I just don't."

"Why not?" Kelly sounded incredulous and immediately knew she needed to explain herself. "I mean, not that I'm sex-crazed or anything, I just… not often do I meet people who choose not to have sex. I mean, how do you have that self-control? Anyone I've ever met, after they do it, they pretty much never stop or at least never want to. Some really never stop and oh my god. I am rambling about sex. Wow." Her cheeks were incredibly red now. "I'm gonna stop. Now."

Aaron smiled at her. "Well, a good way to maintain self-control is to never start in the first place."

"Are you saying that you are…?" Kelly could not manage to say it until Aaron slowly nodded his head. "A virgin?"

"Yes. I made a decision when I was young to wait until I get married. I'm not ashamed or anything and it is the topic of a lot of interviews and that's why I thought you knew. But you didn't and then it would have been just weird for me to blurt out 'I'm a virgin!' on your doorstep so I didn't and then you locked me out before I could explain."

Kelly took a moment to process all this. "So you don't think I'm too old?"

Aaron rolled his eyes. "No!" he stated firmly.

"And you do want to kiss me?"

"All the time," he answered, sincerely. He stepped closer to her.

"That sounds nice," she said with a chuckle, taking a step toward him.

When they were inches apart, Aaron whispered. "Doesn't it?" he leaned down and kissed her the way he did the night before. Kelly wrapped her arms around him and returned the passion.

Minutes passed before a knock on her door broke them apart. Kelly was needed in make up in five minutes. Aaron smiled down at the beautiful woman in front of him.

"I guess I'll see you later." He whispered and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"You better," she called to him as he walked toward the door to leave. He turned and smiled at her before stepping out.

As soon as the door was closed, Kelly did a tiny spin as she squealed with excitement and grinned from ear to ear. She knew she looked like an adolescent but, right now, she did not care. She felt herself falling and was happier than she had ever been.


	3. Blue Eyes

**A/N: **_Aaron____is from Alabama because I am from Alabama. This way I can write him accurately without great amounts of research to make sure that he would say certain things common to his area. For example, obviously he would say 'apartment' rather than 'flat' because he is American and he says 'y'all' (you all) rather than 'you guys' or whatever other people say, because he is from the South. There are people down in the south that aren't horribly redneck and Aaron is one of those people. So please do give him a chance, although he may speak in a way that is odd or annoying to some. ___

_Sincerely,_

_Your resident Southern author_

On Monday, Kelly returned to 'The O.C.' set. Her schedule was tight. Her mornings were spent filming 'The O.C.' and, in the afternoon, she returned to the movie set. Her time with Aaron was very limited. They only shared a handful of scenes together to begin with and they were already completed.

She was afraid the lack of time together would put a strain on their relationship. Even when they were on the same set, Kelly was needed for scenes immediately upon arrival. Sometimes he would stick around, hiding in her trailer, to be able to see her but usually there was only time enough for a hug or if they were really lucky a quick kiss. Kelly felt herself being pulled into three different directions: 'The O.C.,' the movie, and Aaron.

Both Kelly and Aaron started realizing how nice and easy the two weeks on the movie had been for their relationship. Kelly started to worry that Aaron might not want to be in a relationship with such a busy woman, that it might be too much work. She knew, and thought Aaron did as well, that relationships of any kind are hard work.

She had to cancel all of their dates on account of late nights on the set. They would reschedule the original date but Kelly had to cancel those as well. She felt herself becoming increasingly angry at Peter, something that had never happened before. He was always a jokester and many of their scenes had to be reshot because he was playing around. Kelly had never been bothered by it before, at least not like this. She wanted to yell at him but could not without telling him all about Aaron, something she wasn't ready to do just yet.

Kelly had decided not to tell any 'O.C.' coworkers about her new relationship. Truthfully, she was nervous about what they would say and think. The way the cast worked together, it was almost like introducing a boyfriend to family. She was not sure if Aaron was ready, or willing, to handle them.

Persisting in the back of her mind was a concern about what they would say about the age difference. She loved her coworkers, truly. However, they weren't always shy about voicing their opinions and Kelly was afraid. Though she didn't want to and wasn't sure why, she desperately desired their approval.

Try though she might, Kelly's mind continued to wander to Peter. She wondered what he would say, how he would act. She considered that he might not say anything; he might not care at all. There had always been something between herself and Peter. She knew it, he knew it. They knew Melinda knew it. But he was married. Kelly thought perhaps if she was 'taken,' Peter would simply be happy for her and they could just be coworkers like they were supposed to be. She was also concerned that Peter might get angry and ruin everything by being a jealous guy.

Kelly became really frustrated when she had to work on Saturday. Sure, it had happened before. Shooting had been on Saturdays in the past when the weather was perfect or schedules were tight. This week they had to go to the beach and shoot a scene. Kelly succeeded in hiding her frustration though it was difficult.

She called Aaron as soon as she was done and invited him over to her place for dinner Sunday. He seemed unconvinced when she said that nothing would make her cancel.

_Sunday night_

Aaron turned his Jeep into the driveway and noticed how dark the house looked. He assumed the curtains must be drawn making it seem like no one was home. Aaron grabbed the small bundle of flowers he had bought Kelly, made his way to the porch, and knocked.

Kelly opened the door and welcomed Aaron in, accepting his gift and smelling them appreciatively. The inside of the house was almost dark as it had seemed from the driveway. The foyer and living room lights were turned off. However, there was a dim light in the kitchen as if there was simply a desk lamp lighting the large room.

"Why, Ms. Rowan." He sounded highly amused. "Are you trying to seduce me?"

She chuckled and gestured toward the dining room. A light was flickering into the hallway. His eyes were questioning.

"I suppose I should ask you the same question." She spoke from the kitchen while she got a vase for the flowers.

Aaron walked into the dining room and looked around in awe. Kelly's large dining room table had been pushed away and in its place was what Aaron assumed had to be a card table with a nice table cloth covering it.

"These flowers are gorgeous. They smell so good." She said as she brought them into the room and placed the vase in the middle of the end table with the candles scattered around it. She turned back to Aaron who was still taking in the room. "This table," she started, referring to the one they would be eating at. "Isn't the most fancy but the other one is just too big. I'll let you in on a secret." She whispered before leaning down to pull the table cloth up to reveal a brown metal leg. "It's a card table." She giggled.

Aaron smiled at her before looking around once more. "You didn't have to do this."

Kelly pouted her lips out a bit as she walked over to him. "Yeah, I did." She put her hands on his shoulders and they slid around his neck. As his hands held her waist, she continued, "You put so much thought and care into our dates and I've had to cancel them all. This is my apology." Her fingertips played with the short hair on the back of his head. Instead of pulling him down, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his lips softly. He returned the affection, his arms tightening around her, holding her up.

She gently leaned away from him, breaking their kiss, but his hold on her kept her tight against him, their noses grazing. The timer in the kitchen beeped.

"Let's eat." She whispered softly. He released her and followed her to the kitchen. Despite her telling him it was unnecessary, he was determined to help her.

"So, am I going to get to try a special raw cow and dry milk casserole tonight?" He teased her. One of the many things he respected and liked about her was her commitment to her diet. He knew he would not be able to do it. She laughed, knowing that he was just teasing her.

"I thought I would spare you." She said as she pulled a pasta dish out of the oven. "This is yours." It was enough to feed a family of four. She noticed his eyes widening. "I wasn't sure how hungry you were."

She turned toward the refrigerator and chose a container that seemed to contain salad. She scooped some romaine lettuce onto a plate before adding some dried cranberries. She then picked up the pan from the rear eye of the stove and chose a few strips of chicken.

She noticed him watching her. "Oh, would you like some salad? Without the chicken."

He was startled, having not realized that he was staring as she prepared her meal. "No, thanks. I've got my trough of food over here." He chuckled as he scooped his food onto his plate. Kelly rolled her eyes at him.

"Kelly, this smells really good," he complimented her, as they made their way toward the dining room.

"Don't sound so shocked!"

"I guess, I stupidly thought… that maybe you didn't cook normal food." He turned to her, apology all over his face. "I didn't mean that. It's not like your food isn't 'normal'. I just…"

She cut him off. "It's fine, Aaron. Believe me I've heard worse." They sat down at the table and began eating.

With the first bite still in his mouth, he mumbled excitedly, "This is so good! Where'd you learn to make this?"

Kelly chuckled as she swallowed her salad. "My mother."

"Well, my compliments to her and to you!" Kelly smiled as she chewed her food and glanced around the table.

"Oh!" She said with a start. "I forgot the drinks!" She momentarily forgot about etiquette and spoke with her mouth full of lettuce. She swallowed as she stood turning toward the kitchen. "What would you like? I have wine, beer…"

Aaron interrupted before she could finish the list. "Water would be great." Kelly nodded her head and returned with two glasses of water.

They continued to eat their meal while Kelly's CD player lightly played her favorite jazz album in the background. They sat talking after they finished eating. Soon, their conversation turned into a comfortable silence as they finished their drinks and listened to the beautiful music.

_Tuesday_

On the set of the movie, Kelly heard a knock on her trailer door. Without turning, she invited the visitor in, knowing it was Aaron.

"Hey, Kelly," called a voice too high to be Aaron's. Kelly turned her neck so quickly a surge of pain shot through it.

"Oh, Melinda, hi."

"Don't sound so excited." Melinda teased as she made herself comfortable on a small sofa.

"I'm sorry. It's just I wasn't expecting you." Kelly apologized as she rubbed her now sore neck.

"Well, I wanted to surprise you."

"You succeeded. I'm just getting my stuff together to go, though."

"Well, where are you off to?"

"Groceries. I've been so busy I've neglected my fridge and cabinet contents."

"Surely, you wouldn't mind some company."

Kelly narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "I don't guess I would." She paused, still looking at her friend. "Melinda, is there something you want from me? Do you want me to babysit or something? Just ask."

"I'd ask but you'll say no."

"How do you know?" Kelly asked before becoming frightened. What could Melinda possibly need from her that she was positive would receive a negative response?

"Because. I've practically been asking for a week and you won't tell me." Kelly looked very confused while Melinda responded with a grin. "I love it when you think you can hide things from your best friend."

"Can you stop being so cryptic?"

"I know."

Looking around the room for an answer, Kelly waited for Melinda to elaborate. When she refused, Kelly became impatient. "Know what?"

"Know you're seeing someone." She smiled, smugly.

Kelly glared at her.

"C'mon, Kelly. I know you. I notice when you barely speak to any of us at work. You leave as soon as you can,"

Kelly interrupted. "I've been a little busy elsewhere." She pointed around the trailer.

"Oh," Melinda chuckled, amused that Kelly had even tried to use that excuse. She continued, "You're texting constantly and afterward, you've got that dreamy look in your eyes and a goofy smirk on your face. It's cute actually and I'd be so happy for you if I wasn't so pissed that you haven't told me who this guy is!"

Kelly redirected her eyes to the floor before turning away from Melinda completely. She debated the options with herself. Finally, she decided to tell Melinda. After all, Melinda had indeed figured it out and she was Kelly's best friend, she deserved some information.

"You won't believe me." Kelly murmured, still not facing her friend.

"Try me."

Kelly finally turned back around. She paused before looking Melinda straight in the eyes. "Aaron Taylor."

Melinda's eyebrows immediately shot up and her eyes widened times two. "No. Way."

"Told you," Kelly responded with a chuckle.

"I believe you. It's just… no way."

Kelly grinned. "Yes way."

"Wha… whe…how…" Melinda stammered.

"We met here and he very persistently asked me to lunch and I finally said yes."

"Is he really a…" She paused, before whispering. "Virgin?"

Kelly laughed. "That's not a particularly foul word, Mindy. But yes, he is." She said before pausing thoughtfully. "Well, he tells me he is. It hasn't exactly been proven to me but I'm not sure how that would work. But he wouldn't with me so,"

"Wait, what?! You tried to deflower The Virgin!? Kelly, you bad girl, you!" It was hard to miss the pride in Melinda's voice.

Kelly turned twenty shades of pink. "I shouldn't have said that. Act like you didn't hear it."

"Oh, no! Impossible. Spill it!"

Kelly looked at Melinda, pained. Melinda was looking at her with expectant eyes. "Well, I wasn't exactly aware of his being a virgin. So when we first kissed, on my doorstep, I just kind of… invited him in. He said no and I was mortified and shut the door in his face. The next day, he had to explain to me and then I was even further mortified by my own ignorance and that's it."

"Wow." Kelly was afraid of what else Melinda was going to say on the subject but surprisingly she dropped the topic and moved to another one. "So is he as great a kisser as everyone says he is?"

"Who is everyone?" Kelly asked, her ears becoming hot and her heart racing with jealousy.

Melinda snorted. "All of his coworkers. Honestly, Kelly, do you listen to no gossip and read no tabloids? Sometimes they do get it right, you know? "

"Aaron and I are trying to get to know each other the old fashioned way, if you don't mind." She felt the need to defend herself despite her burning desire to know what Melinda was talking about.

"Well, that's fine and dandy but you could still be aware that his kissing comes highly recommended by Kate Beckinsale and Liv Tyler." Melinda waited for Kelly's response but Kelly was boring holes into the wallpaper with her eyes, clearly in another world. "So…" Melinda started, loud enough to break Kelly's reverie. "How is he?" Her eyes were eager like a young teenager.

Kelly thought for a moment, a smile on her face, trying to think of how much information to divulge. Finally, she said, with a large grin, "He's an excellent kisser."

Melinda squealed in delight and Kelly rolled her eyes at her, although her face still wore a grin. She returned to packing up her things, glad that she had been able to satisfy her friend's need for information.

"So when do I get to meet this excellent kisser?"

"Uh," Kelly stammered, wondering herself. "I should really talk to him about it first." She looked apologetically at Melinda who looked prepared to argue. Before she got the chance, a knock was heard on the door. Melinda grinned, looking quite evil. She yelled, "Come in!" before Kelly could even open her own mouth.

As predicted an unprepared Aaron Taylor walked through the door. "Hey, Kelly…" his voice trailed off as he saw a brunette standing next to Kelly. "Oh, hi, I'm Aaron." He held out his hand.

"I'm Melinda." She said as she looked him over while shaking his hand.

"Kelly, Ian wanted me to let you know that scene is going to be fine the way it is. So there's no need to shoot it again." He smiled at her casually and then smiled at Melinda. "It was nice to meet you." He began to turn to leave, happy to escape this odd moment.

"Aaron," Kelly called as she rushed toward him. She grabbed his arm before continuing. "It's okay. She knows." She smiled up at him.

"Knows what?" He smiled back as he teased her.

"I still don't believe it," Melinda started.

"Why not?"

"Because. Dating a young, hot actor? For someone who rarely dates anyone…" she trailed off as she noticed the angry look in Kelly's eyes. "It's just a little Julie Cooper is all I'm saying."

"Wow. Thank you, Melinda. Number one for making me sound pathetic. And number two for the vote of confidence. Who says I can't get a date with a young, hot guy?" Kelly defended.

"It's not that you can't. I'm just surprised that you did." She looked back and forth between the two of them. "But I am still unsure. I mean, you say he's a great kisser."

"Melinda!" Kelly hissed, her cheeks almost as red as Aaron's.

Melinda was not deterred. "But I haven't seen so much as a peck."

Kelly rolled her eyes as she looked up at Aaron, apologetically. He smiled sweetly at her before leaning down and kissing her gently for a moment.

"Are you a believer now?" Kelly asked, dramatically, as she pulled away from Aaron.

Melinda scrunched her face. "Not really." Kelly groaned. "I mean, he kissed you but where were you? I saw no feeling, no emotion." She chuckled lightly at Kelly's frustrated expression. Aaron suppressed a laugh himself. It was kind of fun to watch Kelly squirm.

Kelly turned back toward Aaron, cupping his face and pulling him down to her. She kissed him urgently, pushing herself up on her tiptoes to reach him better.

Aaron was stunned, breathless. A few days earlier, he and Kelly had seen a couple making out with no regards to others around them and they had both agreed that such displays of affection were rude and unnecessary. Yet here he was, Kelly all over him, in front of one of her best friends. Melinda _had_ urged, practically forced, them to do such, so he supposed it had to be an exception to the rule. Aaron was beginning to forget anyone else was in the room as Kelly's mouth became even more persistent. He was lost when she suddenly let go of him and his body was cold where she had been.

"Satisfied?" Kelly asked Melinda.

"No," Aaron answered, breathlessly. Kelly turned back toward him, oblivious to the state in which she had left him. She took in his appearance, his chest gradually moving slower as he regulated his breathing, his eyes dark with desire. She smiled sympathetically at him as she grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently.

"Yes," Melinda interrupted. "Wow, I'm impressed, Kelly. I didn't know you had it in you!"

"You underestimate me?" Kelly laughed as she played along with Melinda.

"Well, my purpose seems to be served. I suppose I'll leave you two to get back to whatever y'all were doing before I came in. Very nice to meet you, Melinda."

"Oh, don't let me scare you away. We were just going to the store to get some groceries. You should come with us."

"Uh, Melinda. We don't grocery shop together."

"Oh…"

"With the media and everything…"

"Oh, right. The Secret Life of Kelly Rowan. My favorite new drama of the summer." Melinda said, dramatically. Kelly rolled her eyes at her friend.

_Wednesday night_

Kelly was over at Aaron's apartment for dinner. Pleased though she was about wrapping up her day in a timely manner, she knew she still had to apologize to Aaron.

"Sorry about the ambush yesterday," Kelly started as she tended to the stove.

"Some warning would have been nice," he teased her.

"I hope Melinda didn't freak you out too much."

"No, I enjoy being a piece of meat in the background," he chuckled as he chopped vegetables.

Kelly gave Aaron an apologetic look. "She's enjoying this… development a little more than I thought she would. I should have known better."

"Development?" His stomach made an odd lurch. He inwardly shook his head clear; he did not want Kelly to see that he was hurt by her words.

"I never know what to call it," she continued to stir the chicken nonchalantly as she spoke.

"Well, what do you want to call it?" His control over his tone was sliding as he tried to remain cool and collected. He busied himself with some celery.

"I don't know… It's…" She was still concentrating on the food and it was driving Aaron crazy.

"You confuse me, you know that?" He turned to her, the veggies forgotten. Kelly seemed to register his tone and turned to him, concern evident on her face. "We're moving fast but then sometimes it feels like you're slamming on the brakes." He did not want to sound angry with her but he could not stop talking. "You want to make out but you don't want to call it a relationship?" He did not mean to sound so, well, feminine, but he thought there was more to this than just the physical. He was trying so hard not to ask his next question but realized that he had to know."Is this just a fling for you?"

"What? No! It's not like that, Aaron," she started slowly. She moved toward him, touching his arm lightly. "You are amazing. Really amazing and I am so afraid that I might do something to scare you off."

"Don't worry about that," Aaron answered as her words sunk in. "I really like you, Kelly. I enjoy spending time with you, getting to know you, kissing you." She smiled. "Nothing is going to scare me away."

"Not even Melinda?" Kelly asked quickly.

"No. Not even Melinda," he chuckled.

"So…" she drew the word out before asking, tentatively, "What are we?"

Aaron shrugged. Suddenly, he was the one with the insecurity. "You're my girl." He smiled at her before becoming shy. "That is, if you want to be."

She smiled at him, squeezing his arm. "Lucky me," she said softly. They looked into each other's eyes, smiling.

Aaron broke their silence by softly saying, "I thought maybe you were just using my youth to impress Melinda."

Kelly laughed at the accusation. "Who was concerned about age to begin with?"

Aaron blushed. "I hadn't thought of that. I guess I just assumed the worst right off the bat." He smirked to himself as he moved back toward the cutting board. "Although, with the show we put on for Melinda, it's no wonder my mind was clouded."

"Oh," Kelly blushed, turning momentarily from the pot on the stove that was boiling over. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to… attack you." She giggled.

"Hey. Doorsteps, in the presence of friends… It all works for me." He winked at her. She blushed, happy that she was turned away from Aaron and he could not see her pink face. They enjoyed the rest of their night together, finishing dinner before sitting on the couch to watch a movie.

Once they had finished their bowls of organic ice cream, Aaron and Kelly propped their feet up on the table. Yawning dramatically, Aaron's arms stretched high toward the ceiling before his right lowered itself around Kelly's shoulder. With a chuckle, he pushed a kiss to her temple. Kelly couldn't control her giggles at his clichéd performance. Once her laughter subsided, she snuggled a bit into his side and returned her attention to the movie.

Somehow, Kelly's mind began to drift. The movie was engaging but she couldn't focus. Suddenly, she turned to Aaron, who looked back at her. At first, he smiled but soon he scrunched his eyebrows together and his features looked quite worried.

"Is everything all right?"

Kelly realized that she had simply been staring at him all this time instead of asking him the question.

"Yes," she smiled, as she smoothed a hand down his face. "Don't worry. I was just wondering…"

His eyes encouraged her to continue.

"Would you like to meet the rest of the people I work with?"

Kelly smiled as Aaron's smile grew wider. "Yeah. Of course."

"They might be a little intimidating…"

Aaron cupped her face, interrupting her. "I told you nothing is going to scare me away." Kelly's smile returned to her face and Aaron leaned in to kiss her. After a few moments, he pulled away. "I'm busy with my agent tomorrow but what about Friday? I could bring you lunch…"

If Aaron had anything else to say, it was going to have to wait. Kelly had pulled his mouth back to her own and simply mumbled her approval into his lips. "Mmmhmm."

_Yes, there is organic ice cream. I've never seen it but Kelly has spoken of it before. It has sunflower seeds and other weird stuff in it. ____ Hope you enjoyed this chapter and please leave a review!_

_Next chapter : Peter makes his appearance as well as the other cast members. _


	4. Meeting the Family

**A/N** : _I must assume that most of my readers aren't American football fans. So if anyone happens to want to know what the football jargon it means and what their positions actually do:_

_Safety (free or strong) are defensive players, they tackle the ball carriers but normally they cover the players who are going to be catching the ball (receivers) and then running as opposed to covering players who are handed the ball by the quarterback and then running (running backs)._

_Wideouts is a nickname for wide receivers that run down the field and catch the ball thrown by the quarterback. They normally make the touchdowns. It's a safety's job to stop this player before they can score. _

_Hence, safeties and wideouts are enemies on the field._

_/end of football lesson. : ) Enjoy the chapter!_

_---_

_My oh my you know it just don't stop  
It's in my mind I wanna tear it up  
I've tried to fight it tried to turn it off  
But it's not enough_

My oh my you know I just can't win  
I burn it down it comes right back again  
What kinda world is this we're living in  
where you never win

It takes a lotta love  
It takes a lotta love these days  
To keep your heart from freezing  
To keep your spirit free

_My Oh My – _David Gray

_---_

_Thursday night_

Kelly knocked anxiously on Aaron's apartment door. Her ears were hot and her heart was racing. Aaron was in the middle of a work out when he heard a pounding that did not match his fists hitting the punching bag.

While pulling the boxing gloves off of his hands, he hurried to the door and opened it to see Kelly standing there. Her hair was fluffed up, betraying that she had been running her fingers through it and her eyes were glassy as if she were holding back tears.

"What's wrong?" Aaron asked, concerned. Kelly's eyes focused not on Aaron but on the gloves on his shoulder.

"I need these," she said as she snatched them away from him. She hurried toward his home gym, leaving Aaron at the door with a confused expression on his face. He quickly shut the door and followed after her.

By the time he reached the room, Kelly was already smacking the hell out of the punching bag. Aaron watched anxiously from the doorway. Finally, her punches slowed and Aaron finally spoke again.

"Will you please tell me what's wrong?"

Kelly sighed, not looking at him. She knew he must be horrified with her. "It's nothing."

He scoffed and snapped a reply. "You pound on my door. Barely say two words before barging in and going crazy on a punching bag. Sure seems like it's more than nothing." He didn't mean to be impatient with her but he was worried.

Kelly pulled the gloves off of her hands, tried to run a hand through her hair, and sat down on a curl-up bench. She took a deep breath before quietly speaking. "I told my friends about you coming tomorrow."

Aaron squeezed onto the bench with her. "I assume it didn't go well."

Kelly finally looked up at him. The look in her eyes made him ache for her. He put an arm around her, forgetting about how sweaty he was. She didn't even notice and pushed herself closer to him.

"Why don't you tell me about it?" he suggested.

_Earlier that day:_

_Kelly sat at a table in the break room, twisting her fingers and trying to warm her cold hands. She hated how nervous she felt about this. These people were practically family. Odds were they would be happy that she had found someone that she was happy with. But on the other hand, they were practically family and families could be critical and sometimes downright cruel._

_A bag smacked down on the table and Kelly jumped in her seat, turning quickly toward the noise._

"_I'm sorry," Melinda hurriedly apologized. "Wow, Kelly." Melinda absorbed Kelly's frightened features, her wide eyes and heavy breathing. "You aren't nervous, are you?" It wasn't actually a question. It was a statement._

"_Can you tell?" Kelly asked sarcastically as she tried to relax in her seat._

_Before Melinda could answer, the rest of the cast began to make their way into the room for lunch._

"_Hey! Look who's joining us today!" Adam exclaimed as he took the seat in front of Kelly._

"_Oh my," added Ben. "No cell phone glued to her ear either. It must be a miracle." He winked at her._

_Kelly tried her best to smile but knew it had to look more like a grimace. Everyone bustled about fixing their lunches until they all finally sat at the long table._

_Rachel noticed that Kelly was not eating and was actually looking a bit pale. Since she was sitting next to the blonde, Rachel leaned over and quietly questioned her._

"_Are you feeling okay?"_

"_Hmm?" Rachel had caught her off guard. Kelly hadn't even noticed when Rachel had sat down beside her. "Oh, yeah. I'm okay."_

"_Are you giving us bad news?" Rachel sounded very frightened. Kelly had told them all that she'd like to speak to them during their lunch break. She knew that now as they were all gathered and she sat in a trance they must be coming up with horrible scenarios in their heads about cancer or green cards or God knows what._

"_No, Scrunch. I'm just a little nervous. Don't worry, though, it's nothing life-shattering." She smiled at the brunette, proud that she'd managed to deliver an actual grin._

"_So, Kelly," Adam boomed, always the volunteer icebreaker. "What is this news you want to share with the class?"_

"_Well, um," Kelly's hands, which previously had been so cold, were now clammy. "As you all know, I've been working on another film for the past two weeks. And I, well, I sort of… met someone."_

_Melinda grinned like a child as Kelly blushed ferociously. The decibel of the room had risen seismically as soon as Kelly had uttered the last syllable. Everyone was talking. Some were asking questions while others were talking loudly to their neighbors, all of their faces were plastered with smiles._

_However, a lone person sat at the end of the table, not yet able to fake enthusiasm. Peter hadn't uttered a sound. He was thankful that everyone else was so preoccupied that they hadn't noticed his lack of a reaction. _

"_So who is he?" Rachel asked eagerly for the umpteenth time._

"_His name is Aaron," she paused. "Taylor."_

"_What?!" Autumn shrieked as Rachel gasped before slapping a hand over her gaping mouth. "Aaron Taylor." Autumn repeated in disbelief._

"_Wait," Ben said, smile on his face. "Isn't he like 19?"_

"_Why, Kel, I didn't know you were a cradle robber," Adam smirked._

"_If we had known, we would have been asking you out since season one," Ben cackled._

"_Yeah," Adam agreed with a loud laugh._

"_He's 25." Rachel snapped at the boys. "Kelly, ignore the immature boys." She edged her chair closer. "So is it true? Is he really… a virgin?" She whispered the last word just as Melinda had done the previous day._

_Melinda poked her head around Kelly to stare at Rachel. "Oh, and that's a mature thing to ask?"_

"_Hey! I can't help but be curious," Rachel defended._

"_Oh, me too!" Autumn piped up, raising her hand._

"_Wait," Ben said as he and Adam rejoined the conversation. "What are we curious about?"_

_Kelly was horrified. This is one of the things she had been most afraid of. Before she could silence any more questions with vague answers, Autumn began practically reciting Aaron's biography._

"_Aaron Taylor is a self-proclaimed virgin. He's waiting until he gets married to do the deed."_

_Obvious from the looks of their faces, this was news to every male in the room._

"_Hold on," Peter finally broke his silence. "This boy is a virgin?" The words 'boy' and 'virgin' were severely emphasized._

_Melinda looked at Peter. She could sense what was to come and knew she was powerless to stop it._

_He chuckled and Ben and Adam smirked. Peter was definitely an instigator when it came to jokes and pranks. They could tell that he was about to unleash his finest and they were eager to laugh at his jokes. However, they were oblivious to the serious potential these jokes had to hurt Kelly._

"_I mean, when you first mentioned meeting someone I was starting to get a little worried," he began. Melinda rolled her eyes. She knew worry was not what he was beginning to feel. "But you're just going to be on diaper duty and dragged to every church service available," he snorted._

"_Yeah, on dates, do you just sit around and do crossword puzzles?" Adam snorted._

"_C'mon, man," Ben protested. "He's 25. They do Sudoku, of course." The boys including Peter chuckled for a few more moments before realizing they were the only ones laughing. They stopped awkwardly and glanced around the room. No one was making eye contact with them except Kelly, who seemed to be looking them each directly in the eye at the exact same time._

_She refused to say anything. Ben swallowed loudly as Peter cleared his throat and Adam wriggled in his chair, all three unnerved by the awkward silence and Kelly's glare._

"_Are you done?" She asked them, coldly. She waited, giving them an opportunity to answer. None of them were dumb enough to so she continued. "Good. So am I." She pushed her chair from the table and walked calmly from the room._

_Nobody spoke. Melinda looked around the room at each person, some were brave enough to meet her gaze. She shook her head in disbelief before pushing away from the table. She had planned on simply leaving the room and checking on her friend but being Melinda she couldn't just leave without saying something._

"_I can't believe you guys." She started. "How could you act that way? You had to see how nervous she was! In these four years we've all known each other, she's never once mentioned her love life and when she finally does… well, it's no wonder she hid it before._

"_She was going to bring Aaron to lunch tomorrow. But now… who knows? She might not even show up herself. Hell, after that performance, I'm not showing up tomorrow." Melinda turned to leave. She reached the door before turning around again as Ben called out to her._

"_Oh, c'mon. We were just teasing her. Like we do with everybody."_

"_There's a time for teasing, Ben, and there's a time to just shut up. You know, everybody's spent this whole time 'teasing' her about him being young. If age is so important, every single one of you should be ashamed because no one in this room has acted their age today."_

_With that, she finally left the break room and strode briskly to Kelly's room. She knocked lightly on the door before walking in without an invitation. Kelly might not _want_ to see her but she _needed_ to._

_Melinda spotted her sitting at the counter of the kitchenette. Her head was in her hands._

"_Hey," she said softly._

_A few moments passed and Kelly hadn't moved an inch or said a word._

"_I hope you don't mind but I told them off," Melinda said, just wanting to break the silence. She desperately needed to know how Kelly was taking this. She couldn't even tell if Kelly was crying or just sitting with her head in her hands._

"_Thank you." She said quietly. "I wanted to but I was afraid I'd make an even bigger fool of myself." Her voice was steady. Suddenly, she picked her head up and looked at Melinda. "Am I overreacting? Is this just something petty that I'm freaking out over?" Her eyes were rimmed with red but her makeup wasn't running. "I mean, it's not even my virginity they are laughing about and Aaron might not even care."_

"_You know, he's probably used to it," Melinda offered._

"_Probably," Kelly turned back toward the counter, fumbling with a napkin before checking her cell phone. "I was going to call him but he's supposed to be in a meeting with his agent right now."_

"_You should probably calm down before talking to him," Melinda suggested. Kelly nodded while turning her phone in her hands. Melinda approached her and put her hand on top of Kelly's, stopping her movement. "You weren't wrong to get upset. Even if this isn't a big deal to Aaron, it's a big deal to you. They should have been better about it. I think this set remains so drama free in real life that we forget how to be seriously serious sometimes."_

_Kelly looked at her friend's sincere expression before chuckling. "That barely made any sense," she laughed._

"_But you know what I mean."_

"_I do."_

"_It's no excuse, really, but I think that's part of their reason for being so… flippant about this."_

_Kelly smiled at Melinda before checking her watch. "Time to go be Kirsten Cohen."_

"_Mm. Time to be Julie Cooper-Nichol." Kelly hopped down from the barstool and they walked toward the door of the room._

"_Cooper," Kelly continued._

"_Roberts."_

"_Atwood."_

"_Bullit," Melinda chuckled._

_The two friends smiled at each other, happy their lives weren't nearly as dramatic as their characters'._

_Before they opened the door, Melinda put her shoulder around Kelly and hugged her. "Are you going to be okay? You aren't going to punch anyone or anything, are you?" She joked._

_Kelly laughed. "If they don't say anything to me, I can probably keep that promise."_

"_Well, here's hoping."_

_Kelly got her wish. For the rest of the day, the cast simply got to work. They didn't speak in between cuts. The crew wondered why the normally boisterous cast was so quiet and austere when the cameras weren't rolling. However, they couldn't complain if it meant quick filming and an early night._

_Kelly gathered her bags from her room and opened the door. Rachel, Autumn, Ben, Adam, and Peter were all waiting in a patient group. _

"_We want to apologize," Adam started._

"_Yeah, we were obnoxious," Autumn added._

"_And annoying. I shouldn't have asked that question," Rachel said quietly. "I should have asked if he's as funny in person as he is in print."_

_Despite her original feelings upon seeing all these people outside her door, Kelly found herself smiling at Rachel._

"_And maybe I could have got away with asking if he's as ripped in person as he is in magazines," Autumn teased with a wink._

_Ben finally spoke. "Kelly, we're sorry about all those jokes we made. We were just kidding around like we always do. But this is obviously important to you and we should have been serious."_

_Peter cleared his throat and swallowed his pride. "Melinda mentioned you bringing him to lunch tomorrow." He spoke in his patriarchal tone which he denied having. "We all think that'd be a great idea."_

_Kelly eyed her friends suspiciously. "Really?" she questioned. The group enthusiastically confirmed what Peter had said. Kelly giggled at how emphatic they were being._

"_So, will you please forgive us?" Ben asked, using his puppy dog eyes. Adam glanced at him and quickly mimicked his pleading expression._

_Kelly scrunched her forehead as she peered at the group. "I'll think about it," she teased._

Kelly wrapped up her abridged version of the day's events and couldn't look at Aaron. As the story had progressed, she had begun to feel more and more ridiculous. Aaron had been nothing but supportive. However, Kelly still felt foolish for letting the teasing get the best of her.

"I'm not sure I understand why you are so upset. It sounded like your day ended well."

"I don't know. I was letting it go. But then I started driving here and it hit me how much I wanted to see you, how much I had wanted to call you all day. I was desperate to see you and then when you answered the door with these gloves; it just brought all the frustration from the day back."

"Note to self: Don't let Kelly see weapons," he chuckled, pulling the gloves away from her grasp. She giggled as he dropped them on the floor. He smiled wider as he heard her laugh.

"So how are you feeling now?" He asked in a hushed voice.

"To be honest, silly," she murmured. "I freaked out over people teasing you and you aren't even insulted in the least."

"Well, Kelly, eight years of the same jokes kind of desensitizes a person," Aaron said as he rubbed a hand up and down her arm.

Kelly chuckled. "That's what Melinda said."

"Yeah, but she was also right when she said if it was significant to you, it is important." He paused. "People making fun of my decisions doesn't irritate me. But the fact that it bothers you? Well, it bothers me when something bothers you."

"I just don't think that anyone should make fun of a decision you've made."

"Is that the only reason it upset you?" Aaron asked. She looked up at him, a question in her eyes. "Were you irritated to be dating such a…" He was searching for the perfect word. "Odd person? Someone you're going to have to justify being with?"

Kelly dropped her eyes. "I didn't mean to be." She murmured. "I'm not ashamed of you or anything." Suddenly, she became quite defensive.

"It's okay, Kelly." He smiled at her, rubbing her arm. "It's human nature. It's not fun having to constantly give reasons for being with somebody who's ten years younger than you are. Or has chosen to be a virgin." Kelly was still studying her fingers. Aaron smirked at her before lightly poking her in the ribs. "Or eats weird food." She squirmed away from his fingers before smiling up at him.

She appreciated him turning the tables. She had a few quirks herself that people might tease him about. But he was so confident about the whole situation. She had quite a few things to learn from him.

"Not that I'm ashamed of you!" He mimicked her with a grin. "I so admire the discipline you have." She had been gazing into his warm brown eyes but couldn't continue their staring contest after his last comment. She blushed a fierce red and lowered her head.

She felt his fingers gently touch her chin and tilt her head toward him. She gazed into his handsome face which bore an expression she had seen before but couldn't quite explain. It wasn't as if his lips were curved, instead his eyes were smiling at her. It made her heart flutter.

He leaned in slowly and pressed his lips gently against hers. She was eager to accept his kiss and smiled at the feeling of his lips on her own.

"Just to be clear, I am coming for lunch tomorrow, yes?" He murmured against her lips.

"If you still want to," she answered apprehensively.

"I wouldn't miss it," he smiled before kissing her one last time. "Let me get cleaned up and then we can have dinner." Kelly nodded with a smile, watching him walk off to his bathroom. Without his presence next to her, calming her, her heart started racing again, thinking about tomorrow's lunch. She wished she wasn't so nervous.

_Friday_

"Are you nervous?" Aaron had started counting and that was the 27th time Kelly had asked him that question.

He chuckled and rolled his eyes at her as he followed her through the hallway toward the break room where they'd be eating lunch. In his left hand, he toted the lunch he had picked up for them.

"You constantly asking me that question _is_ starting to put me a little on edge," he answered. She turned and looked at him apologetically. He put his arms on her shoulders, forcing her to stop moving. "Just breathe, Kelly. Relax," he urged as he rubbed her arms.

"I'm sorry. I just… I don't want them to scare you away," she admitted.

"If I'm not scared away by Melinda, you've got nothing to worry about." He smiled as she chuckled. "I told you, Kelly, nothing is going to scare me away from you." He felt her sigh and relax a little. "It's going to be fine," he added with a kiss to her forehead.

She took another deep breath before they started walking again. As they approached the break room, the cast, grouped together like a school of fish, appeared from an adjacent hallway. Aaron noticed Kelly tense up again. He subtly reached out his arm where no one could see and gently placed his hand on Kelly's back. Quickly, starting at her shoulder blades, he soothingly touched down her spine to the small of her back before retracting his arm.

She felt relief and comfort spread through her at his gesture. Her heart slowed before racing again, this time for a different reason. His touch left fire on her skin, nerve endings tingling where his hand had traveled.

The cast noticed the couple approaching and all of them smiled, whether they were faux grins had yet to be determined. But Kelly was just glad the smiles were there and her friends were supporting her.

Though Aaron could probably already name them all, Kelly introduced each one and Aaron shook all of their hands, telling them how nice it was to meet them.

After the introductions finished smoothly, they started moving toward the break room.

"Oh," Kelly exclaimed. "I forgot my drink in my room. I'll be right back."

"I'll go with you!" Rachel squealed, resulting in a weird look from Kelly.

Aaron leaned toward Kelly and quietly asked her where the restroom was. She pointed down the hallway. "Second door on the right."

Melinda took their lunch while Aaron walked to the restroom.

As he exited, he noticed Adam and Ben waiting outside of the door, which was odd considering it was not a one stall bathroom.

"Hi. Aaron, right?"

"Um, yeah?" If Ben's tone hadn't given him away, his question would have.

"Look," he continued. "We don't know you and you do seem nice but we need to set some immediate ground rules."

"Kelly, 'Mom' as I call her, is very important to us." Adam added. "To the whole cast, really."

"If you do anything, anything to hurt her, you are going to have six-plus people very, very angry with you," Ben continued.

Adam nodded his head in agreement. "So what we need to know is: what are your intensions with our mother?"

Aaron breathed a tiny chuckle. "Guys, I appreciate you looking out for Kelly. Believe me, I really do but you have to trust that I am the last person you need to worry about hurting her."

"We'll be the judges of that."

"Alright. Well I plan on treating her right…"

"She's not just another notch on your bedpost, you know."

Adam looked at Ben and whispered, "Ben, he doesn't do that, remember?"

"Oh, yeah."

Before it could get more awkward, Aaron interrupted. "He's right. I don't do that. But, in my world, no, she's not a notch on my bedpost."

"Aaron?" Kelly called at the end of the hallway, causing Ben's and Adam's ears to turn red. They really didn't want Kelly angry at them again.

"If you'll excuse me," Aaron said as he walked past the two men to meet Kelly.

Once he stood beside her, she asked cautiously, "What was that about?"

"Just a little hazing," he shrugged before noticing Kelly's frightened face. "Grilling, really." She sighed loudly. He slipped his hand into hers. "They're just protective of you. It's a good thing." He squeezed her hand gently before dropping it.

"Rachel let me have it as well. It was probably planned."

"Wow. I didn't realize you were such a conspiracy theorist."

"I'm not. But with these people you can't be too sure."

"It's a miracle I'm not nervous with you being so optimistic," he remarked sarcastically.

They reached the room where the cast awaited them.

"Ready?" she asked.

Aaron chuckled and opened the door. "After you, ma'am."

Lunch began without a hitch. Aaron sat with Kelly on one side and Melinda on the other. For his protection, he could hear Kelly telling him later. The group talked comfortably amongst themselves as they ate.

Kelly turned toward Aaron. "You know, Aaron, Ben played high school football in Texas. Ben, Aaron used to play."

"Really?" Ben hadn't meant to sound so excited and interested. He was supposed to be intimidating. However, football was his weakness. "What position?"

"Well, our school was pretty small so I played a few positions each year but I always preferred safety. How about you?"

"Wideout so I guess we are natural enemies." Ben chuckled. "Strong safety or free safety?" Ben suddenly cleared his throat as someone, Adam, kicked him under the table as if to tell him to stop flirting with the suspect.

"Free." Aaron answered, trying not to laugh. "How about you, Adam?"

Adam turned from glaring at Ben to answer the question. "Well, Aaron, my bone structure doesn't really make football a wise decision." Adam knew Kelly wanted him to be polite. "In high school, I was a skateboarder. You know, the kid the football players like to throw in lockers. You know, clichés and what not."

"Well, I assure you, I wasn't that kind of guy."

"I was," Ben laughed. Adam looked at him, shocked. "Kidding, buddy."

Aaron looked down the table. Peter had been very interested in his food. "And you, Peter? You look like you could have played football."

Peter looked up from his meal. "Back in the day, you mean?" He chuckled. "Uh, no, being from New York, I'm a baseball man. My original goal in life was to play left field for the Yankees."

"A friend of mine is a baseball player. He made it on with the Atlanta Braves actually. But then his girlfriend discovered she was pregnant. So they got married and stayed near her parents. Now he plays ball in the capital city on a minor league team. Whose mascot is the biscuits, actually." He added as an afterthought.

The table laughed. "Are you serious?" Someone asked.

"Yup. The Montgomery Biscuits."

"Do they serve biscuits at the stadium?" Rachel couldn't imagine eating a biscuit on a hot day at the ballpark.

"No! I don't understand it." Aaron laughed. "I've always wondered if they took a vote for the mascot. If they did, I demand a re-do so I can vote against 'biscuits.'"

"That is country," Autumn said before thinking.

"I know. I've always said it's stuff like that that makes people think we are really dumb."

"Well that 'get er dun' guy doesn't help much," Melinda teased.

Aaron laughed at the mention of Larry the Cable Guy. "No, he doesn't."

A few more jokes were made at Aaron's expense which he accepted in stride. Kelly was becoming more and more comfortable as her friends spent time with her boyfriend.

The chatter died back down a bit and Aaron turned to Kelly.

"Is your food good?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Can I have a bite?"

Kelly almost choked. "Are you serious?"

"Oh. Unless it bothers you for others to eat from your plate," he started to apologize.

"No, no. I've just… It's not often people ask to try my food." She scooped up food on her fork and lifted it up for Aaron. He accepted the food into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. He could feel Kelly watching him. As he swallowed the mouthful, he turned to grin at Kelly.

"Tasty." She smiled back at him.

"Aaron," Ben started. Aaron and Kelly returned their focus to the group. Everyone was looking at them, all wearing surprised expressions. "Can you even tell me what that was you just ate?"

Aaron chuckled. "I'm not sure. But I know it tasted pretty good."

"Oh. I highly doubt that!" Adam murmured.

"It's definitely different but it's not gross or anything." No one looked convinced. "C'mon. You're telling me you've never been curious about what she eats. I mean, why would she continue to eat it if it tasted that gross?"

"I don't know. Poop doesn't taste good but dogs continue to eat it."

Ben guffawed and covered his mouth with his hand as he laughed.

"Adam!" Melinda shrieked.

"That's hardly the same thing," Peter chuckled.

Aaron looked over to Kelly and was relieved to see her grinning. She laughed affectionately at Adam.

"Good point, Adam. But if it tasted like dog shit, I can assure you I wouldn't eat it. No matter the nutritional value," she quipped.

"See, that's good to hear," Adam grinned.

"So, Aaron, has Kelly converted you to a soy and wheat germ meal plan yet?" Peter knew not to call it a diet. He had learned that the hard way.

"Well, no. She subtly mentions the benefits and cooks some amazing food. But I'm too stubborn to give up Chalupas and fun things like that."

"But you'll eat what she eats?" Aaron nodded his head. "How chivalrous."

Aaron chuckled. "It's one of the things I admire about her the most. She's got more discipline than I could ever have." He smiled at her and Kelly couldn't hide the pink shade in her cheeks.

Time passed and people wrapped up their lunch.

"You know, Aaron, a lot of us were concerned when Kelly said she was dating you," Peter started.

"Peter," Kelly warned.

"I just want to say that we were wrong to be judgmental before we knew you. You seem like a good guy."

"Well, thank you, Peter. I'm actually relieved that y'all are so protective of her. It's good to know she's loved and taken care of."

Rachel giggled and everyone looked at her. "He said 'y'all'," she imitated Aaron, giving him a much deeper Southern drawl than he actually had.

"Well, not like that he didn't," Autumn giggled.

Aaron chuckled as the group smirked at his accent. He turned back toward Peter. "Adam says he calls Kelly 'Mom'. So, Peter, what do you call her? 'Sis'?" He joked.

"I guess if Kelly didn't _hate_ nicknames, I'd have to call her 'wife' to be technical."

"That's not completely true. I don't _hate_ nicknames. I don't mind Adam calling me 'Mom'."

"Well, that's because I'm adorable and impossible to say 'no' to."

Ben scoffed. "Yeah, right." He turned to Peter. "Paula might not like that too much."

"Hence my abstaining from joining Adam's game."

"Who's Paula?" Aaron asked Kelly quietly.

"His wife."

Aaron was surprised. It seemed like no one else had noticed Peter's tone when he said Kelly hated nicknames. It was like Peter felt superior in knowing something he thought Aaron should know and delighted to find out that Aaron was unaware.

He also seemed like the only on to notice the territorial way Peter had said the word 'wife'. Aaron's mind had started rushing with thoughts. Had Kelly dated Peter? Did Peter have feelings for her?

Before he could concoct too many questions, he learned that Peter was married. Surely Aaron wouldn't have to worry about a married man around his girlfriend.

Should he?

A final thought occurred to him. Maybe he wasn't the only one to notice Peter's behavior. Perhaps he was simply the only one surprised by it. But if that were the case, Aaron wondered, what kind of married man was Peter?

With lunch finished, it was time for everyone to get back to work. After saying his goodbye and repeating the sentiment of how nice it was to meet everyone, Aaron and Kelly began walking toward the parking lot.

Suddenly, Josh Schwartz's assistant poked her head out of a door and told Kelly Josh would like to speak to her.

"Go ahead. I can wait," Aaron answered her apologetic glance. After she disappeared in the door, he leaned against the wall and checked the messages on his phone. Once he ran out of menial tasks to do on his cell, he moved forward to look at the pictures on the wall. Promotional posters from the show were framed on the wall. There were a few collages of more random pictures as well. Some were from photo shoots and others were just on and off the set pictures of the cast.

He moved down the hall looking at the different pictures. Suddenly, he heard his name coming from an open door. Aaron knew he shouldn't eavesdrop but really he couldn't help but overhear.

"He seems like such a good guy," Autumn stated.

"I know!" Rachel exclaimed before lowering her voice. "I think he's good for Kelly."

"Oh," Autumn squealed as if reminded of something. "Did you see the way he was looking at her?"

"I thought I was the only one to notice that! So adorable!"

Aaron grinned.

"I know! I'm just glad she's met _somebody_. Between you and me, I've never thought her and Peter's relationship was healthy." Autumn paused. "At least not for her."

Aaron's heart started beating wildly. He _had_ seen something.

"I mean it's got to be lonely being best friends with a guy who has a family."

Rachel chuckled. "It's gotta be lonely being best friends with a guy, period."

Autumn laughed too. "True."

Aaron sighed. He had been jumping to conclusions all day which wasn't fair for those involved. He calmed himself and walked back toward the door Kelly had disappeared into. He resolved to only concern himself with what Kelly told him directly about her relationships.

He returned his focus to the pictures on the wall and after a few moments, his girlfriend reappeared, apologetic as ever.

"It's fine, Kelly," he said as he pressed a kiss into her hair before turning back to the pictures. He reached forward, pointing to one. "You look gorgeous in this one." In the photograph, she was smiling at Adam who was making a ridiculous face.

"Can I ask you a question without you getting mad or… defensive or something?" He asked suddenly.

"I think I should wait for the question before I answer that," she answered apprehensively. Aaron wondered what she might be afraid of him asking.

He pointed to a different picture. It was a picture of the whole cast in formal attire at the beach, possibly a promotional photo for the show, Aaron couldn't quite tell. They were looking over the ocean and everything seemed to be in order. When he pointed to that picture, Kelly knew for sure what the question would be.

"Is this something I should be worried about?" His fingers hovered above Kelly in the photo, an image with her in Ben's arms.

"Ah," she stumbled over the words. "That's… an interesting story."

"I'd love to hear it." Aaron's voice was unlike anything Kelly had heard. He didn't sound furious or jealous or anything like that. It was actually pretty void of any emotion whatsoever. It was as if he were focusing very intently on keeping his tone in control.

She motioned that they should walk toward the exit where they could have more privacy while they talked. She started her explanation as they moved.

"Well, he'd just dated Mischa who…" Kelly was interrupted as Aaron scoffed at her. She knew where his mind was going. He would be thinking that she had dated Ben out of pity or, worse, he was thinking she did something else out of pity for him. "Can I finish?" She snapped at him.

When he stayed quiet, she continued, "There's an eight years difference between them. He dated her when he was 25 and she was 17. Even though Mischa is a very mature girl, it was still… a bit much. I mean, depending where you are in the country, that's not even legal."

Finally, they stood in front of the door.

"So that didn't work and Ben sort of… overcompensated, I guess you could say. He developed a crush on me. Not a very obvious one. Well, other than that picture." She added when Aaron raised one eyebrow at the previous comment. "I could tell he was finding more opportunities to talk to me and he would kind of touch my arm when we spoke. But I couldn't just tell him to buzz off. I didn't want to hurt his feelings. I mean, we'd still have to work together. And I was a little flattered by his interest but I just don't feel anything toward him like that.

"But after we took that picture, I knew I had to say something. So we talked and he understood and now we're good friends. To answer your question simply, no. There is _nothing_ that you should be worried about."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

"No inappropriate relationships with other coworkers?" Aaron figured since they were on the subject anyway he could get away with the question. "Cast members? Directors? Sound guys? Video editors?"

Kelly laughed, "Unless you count Melinda, no." She joked before turning serious. "You do trust me, don't you?"

Aaron looked deep into her eyes as he answered her sincerely. "Yeah, I do."

"Good. Because you should," she said. "Sometimes you make me forget about all those stereotypes of jealous, cheating, egotistical men. Then sometimes you remind me."

He let her words sink in, understanding that this was a big moment for their new relationship. "Well, I'm not perfect, Kelly. I guess we're getting to that point where we get to see each other's faults and figure out if we can like each other past the flaws.

"I don't think I'm a stereotypical jealous guy. I don't have an issue with you talking or joking around with a guy or whatever but when he's got his arms around you? I can't not respond to that."

"Boy, did I pick the wrong profession then," Kelly murmured. They both knew part of her job was to be in other men's arms, kiss them, act like she loved them, act like she was intimate with them.

"That's different." He started. "I won't lie. Even if you were just acting, it would still tear me up. But I'd be able to deal with it and swallow my pride.

"But Ben doesn't play your husband or your boyfriend. He plays your son. So when I saw that picture… I mean, what do you expect me to think?" His voice had dropped down to a whisper and his soulful eyes gazed at her intensely.

"I understand," she whispered, stepping closer to him and placing a hand on his chest.

"I'm not asking to be the only guy in your life. Just after like… a son that your hiding or a really close nephew or your dad," he paused, struggling for the words as he put himself on the line and made himself vulnerable. "As your boyfriend, I need to be your number one. If that's a flaw…" He wasn't sure how to finish his sentence. Kelly decided she would help him.

"If that's a flaw, then we have the same one. And I think we share it with all of humanity." She smiled before looking deep into his brown eyes. "You're the number one guy in my life, Aaron. And I want to be yours." She shook her head. "Number one girl, not guy. After your mother and sister, of course."

"Well, you are definitely number one out of people I'm not related to," he smiled at her, glad that the atmosphere was starting to lighten up.

They didn't move for a minute before Kelly moved her hand and began their goodbye. "I hope you had fun…"

"I did." He interrupted. "I really did. You have great friends. I just hope you're ready to meet mine now."

"Hmm." She pondered. "Are they as good-looking as you?"

"They wish," Aaron said, running his fingers through his hair as he pouted.

She chuckled at him and he grinned down at her. He grabbed her hands with his and gently squeezed them.

"Come over tonight?"

"Yeah," she replied softly. "I'll call when I'm done here.

"I can't wait," he smiled before leaning down, only far enough to let her know what he wanted. Kelly smiled gracefully as she stretched up to reach him. Their lips met softly and her hands tightened on his. She marveled at how gently he kissed her, how good his lips felt on hers.

His hands left hers and found her waist. He pulled her closer and her hands moved smoothly to his chest, then to his shoulders, then his neck, and finally her fingers found themselves in his dark brown hair.

After a few moments, Kelly's senses came to her. Her hands flew down to his chest. Upon feeling her delicate hands pushing gently on his chest, Aaron kissed her a final time before pulling himself away from her.

He watched her as she looked around, checking the room. She was relieved that they were still alone. She gazed back up at Aaron who was smiling breathlessly down at her. She gently gripped his shirt before dropping her hands.

"I gotta go."

"But I don't want you to," Aaron moaned dramatically. She gave him an apologetic look. His eyes smiled at her in that special way and he leaned down to kiss her on the nose. She scrunched her face, grinning at the gesture.

"I'll see you tonight." He gave her a quick hug and walked out of the door.

Kelly walked quickly to her room, trying to get the blush off her cheeks and the shine off her lips, hoping not to run into anyone. She rushed in the door, shutting it quickly and turning the lock. She looked in the mirror and ran her fingers through her hair. She whipped the corners of her mouth, trying to erase the evidence. She knew her friends were going to talk her ears off. She really didn't want to have to put up with their wolf-whistling.

She thought about Aaron and how great he had been at lunch, putting up with the teasing and questions. She thought about his smile and his warm eyes. She thought of his soft lips and gentle kisses. Her blush was returning. She thought about how he made her feel. Now she was smiling from ear to ear.

Meanwhile, also locked in a room, Peter sat twisting the ring on his left hand. His ring, Sandy Cohen's ring. He was utterly confused. He had felt feelings today that he hadn't felt since high school.

He would be lying if he said he'd never thought about Kelly. If he'd never felt something there, some kind of undeniable, unexplainable pull toward her.

He'd often wondered about them, what exactly they were, what she considered them.

But he'd suppressed all of those thoughts, pushed them down inside himself every time they surfaced or he had a new one. But today they had all hit him at once, they had teamed up and broken through the barrier he had rigged. Now they plagued his thoughts, making the ring on his hand burn his finger.

He hated himself for that.

He loved his wife and he loved his kids.

His phone began to ring and he looked at the caller ID. _Paula_.

But he loved Kelly, too. He didn't know in what way but he couldn't deny that he loved her.

He waited for his cell to finally stop ringing and loathed the fact that he couldn't bring himself to talk to his own wife. He was afraid she would be able to hear something in his voice.

He thought about Aaron and was disgusted with himself for hating this guy he barely knew. He hated imagining Aaron with Kelly wrapped around him, even though he knew they wouldn't be doing that. Heck, knowing Kelly they probably hadn't even kissed yet. He hated that that thought made him happy. He had kissed Kelly and her boyfriend hadn't.

He was repulsed that the word had entered his mind before he could stop it. He had known Kelly for four years and he just couldn't put her name and the word 'boyfriend' in the same thought without tensing up.

The phone rang again and Peter groaned inwardly. He answered and prayed she wouldn't notice anything.

--

--

_Well, I hope everyone enjoyed chapter four, _Meeting the Family_. This is probably my favorite chapter thus far but I want to hear what you think. Please leave me a review telling me what you liked, what you disliked, or what you'd like to see. Hopefully, chapter five will present itself soon._


	5. With Friends Like These

_Friday night:_

"No! Not like that!" she exclaimed for the umpteenth time.

"What?"

"They've got to be sliced. Not…" She searched for the perfect word to describe what he was doing to the celery. "Diced?" she guessed.

"That's it!" Aaron grabbed the phone. "What's the number for Mr. Chow?"

Kelly grabbed the phone. "C'mon, Aaron!" He held the phone just out of her reach. After bobbing on her tiptoes several times, she gave up and stood beside him, smirking. "You said you wanted me to teach you how to cook my way."

"Well, I didn't think it'd be so hard to prepare food for a _raw_ diet."

"I didn't figure you as a quitter," she tapped him in the ribs with her elbow before picking the knife up and beginning to fix the celery.

Aaron cut his eyes at Kelly. He knew what she was doing. He was shocked that he was letting it work.

He slid up beside her, opening a drawer for another knife. He began mimicking the way she was cutting the vegetable.

"So why does it need to be sliced?"

"Well, I love pasta but I don't eat it very often. So when I slice the celery, I put it in the soup and it sort of acts as the noodles."

Aaron looked at the celery. "I'm not sure I can act like celery is pasta."

"It does take some practice," she giggled.

"So…" Aaron began as they continued preparing dinner. "How were my reviews?"

Kelly chuckled. "They were great."

"Really?"

"Don't seem so shocked," she told him. "You're quite charming, you know."

He grinned and looked back down at the counter.

"You won Ben over with football and the girls melted with your good looks." She winked at him. "Although, Rachel may just want you to stick around to hear you say words like 'y'all'."

They both laughed. "Yeah… Maybe you shouldn't say that word," Aaron teased.

"What? Do I not say 'y'all' good enough? Y'all, y'all, y'all," she giggled.

"Well, that hint of Canada in your voice is murdering the word a bit. And it's 'well enough', not 'good enough.'"

"Oh my. I just had my grammar corrected by a redneck. What would my fellow Canadians say?"

"Hey!" He turned toward her quickly. "I take offense to that term!" He began tickling her sides.

She turned in his arms, wriggling for freedom and pleading for him to stop.

He chuckled as she squealed and struggled.

Finally, his fingers relented but his hands didn't move, keeping a grip on her sides. He rested his forehead on hers while she regulated her breathing. She smiled up at him breathlessly. They gazed into each other's eyes until he finally leaned down and kissed her lips gently. They enjoyed the moment before Kirsten broke away.

"Food," she reminded him simply.

He reluctantly released her and they returned to their 'slicing'.

They spent a few moments in comfortable silence before Kelly giggled.

"What?" Aaron asked quietly.

"Oh," she answered in a sweet drawl. "Nothin'."

"'Nothin'?" he questioned. "Where's that 'g', Canada?"

"Oh," she said in her normal voice. "I thought if my first 'y'all' wasn't satisfactory maybe I could do better." She reverted to using her accent. "How y'all doin'? How 'bout some fried chicken and sweet tea?"

Kelly smirked, happy to see Aaron smile.

"Other than the insulting stereotypes, I'm quite impressed. Where'd you learn that?"

"Well, I've taken a few voice classes here and there." She paused, unsure whether or not to mention the second part. "And I also played a character with that accent on a television series once upon a time."

"What kind of series was this?"

"A Western."

"A Western?" He repeated, his eyes wide. "You were in a Western? And had an accent?"

Kelly already knew where this was headed.

"Do you think they have it on eBay?"

"Aaron. No."

"You know what? You're right. I bet Megan already has it; I bet she'll ship it to me."

"Aaron," Kelly whined, unsure how serious he was. "Come on."

"What?"

"I don't want you watching me with my short hair and mediocre acting. " She shook her head, keeping her attention on the food.

"Oh, c'mon, Kelly. We'd watch it together."

"Oh. That'd be even worse."

"C'mon, sweetie."

Kelly was glad she wasn't facing him at the moment. Aaron hadn't realized it but that was the first time he had called her by any kind of endearment. She was sure her cheeks were bright red while her heart fluttered wildly.

"Kelly…" he said her name in a cute little whine and, even though she wasn't facing him, she could see his puppy dog eyes. She felt his hands gently rest on her sides as he approached her. She couldn't dare to look at him, knowing her resolve would falter.

"No. I hate watching myself on film."

"Oh, so do I."

"But you keep copies of your work?"

"Of course. Helps keep me humble. Reminds me how far I've come." He paused. "You don't? Keep your work, I mean?"

"Well, yeah. But they're packed up in a box in a closet. I don't watch them."

"Oh, Kelly. You have to be able to laugh at yourself." He thought for a moment. "How about this? What if for everything we watch of yours, we'll watch one of mine?"

"Well, that's not fair. My resume's longer than yours."

He looked at her with wide eyes. "Wow, Kelly. You're not afraid to rub that in, are you?"

She giggled at him.

"Well, to make it fair," he continued. "For every two shows of yours we watch, we'll watch one of mine."

She laughed. "That does not make it fair." She looked up at his face, his head cocked to the side as he tried to hide a grin. "Aaron," she tried to persuade him. With another glance at his face, she knew she couldn't say no to him. "O-kay," she relented and was rewarded with a broad grin spreading across his face.

"But no laughing."

"I wouldn't dream of it," he promised, looking at her in adoration.

She thought for a moment. "But I get to laugh at you."

Aaron's eyes smiles at her. "Fair's fair," he said simply before pressing a kiss into her hair.

"Oh," Kelly said, suddenly realizing what she had forgotten. "What are you doing Monday night?

"I'm supposed to go to a movie premiere with Jerry."

"At what time?"

"Um, around 9, I think. Why?"

"Could I swing by here before you leave? One of my best friends is coming in from New York and she's dying to meet my secret boyfriend," Kelly winked.

Aaron chuckled. "Which friend is this?"

"Kelly."

"Wait, Kelly. You have a best friend name Kelly?" He chuckled as he repeated her name. She smirked. "So self-centered," he teased.

"Ha, ha. I've never heard that joke before. Anyway, she and I are supposed to have dinner but if we could stop by here first…"

"Yeah, that'll be great." He paused for a moment. "Does that ever get confusing? Having the same name as your best friend?"

"Sort of. It's a bit strange to say my own name when I'm talking to her. We use nicknames usually."

"I thought you hated nicknames," Aaron responded, a little too quickly.

Kelly rolled her eyes. "You mean what Peter said?" She shook her head. "Oddly enough, the only one I don't like is the one he calls me."

"'Wife'?" he guessed.

Once again, Kelly rolled her eyes. "He doesn't actually call me that. He calls me 'Kel'. I mean, how lazy. How long does it really take to add the 'y'?" Aaron chuckled. "He noticed that I don't like it and took that to mean that I don't like any nicknames at all. But Adam calls me 'Mom' sometimes and I don't mind that."

"What kind of nicknames do you and the other Kelly use?"

"Um, sometimes she calls me 'Canada', or we use last names, but a lot of the time we use our characters' names."

"I hope I'll be able to keep track of all this," he teased her.

"I have faith in you," she quipped.

After a delicious dinner, as they cleaned the kitchen, Aaron asked. "So how 'best' of a best friend is Kelly?" After receiving a puzzled look from her, he reprised his question. "Who is your absolute best friend? If you have one."

"Well, as far as friends I met as an adult, Kelly is. But, I'm still close friends with my best friend from high school."

"Oh, ok. Does she live in Toronto?"

"She lives close to Toronto. She works in the city but lives in a small suburb about ten miles out."

"Oh, cool. So you get to see her when you go home?"

"Mmhmm."

"That's good." He paused for a second. "So Melinda's not your best friend?"

Kelly thought for a moment. "Well, from work, she is. Kelly and I are friends by pure choice. Melinda and I work together and became friends that way."

"You value that less?"

"Not necessarily. It's just-"

He interrupted her. "Because you know, we met at work."

"I didn't mean anything by it. It's just Kelly and I have things in common. Melinda and I have work in common. When I met Kelly, we were both single. Both of us were struggling with our careers. When I met Melinda, I was single and she was married with a daughter. Our job is what introduced us. We probably wouldn't have met any other way."

Aaron didn't seem convinced by her explanation. Kelly cleaned her hands on a dishtowel and walked over to him. She reached her hands toward him, running them lightly up his back before resting them on his shoulders. She put her forehead on his back and called his name softly. He turned to face her.

"I don't care how we met. I just care that we did." She wrapped her arms around his middle and was relieved to feel his strong arms tighten around her. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize how my explanation would sound. How it would make you feel."

"I know you didn't mean to." His chest rumbled in her ear as he spoke. "But it did sound that way."

She looked up at him, remorsefully. "I'm sorry." She pouted a bit and couldn't help but smirk at the way he looked as he tried not to smile at her. "You know…" she started. "Kelly and I were introduced at the premiere of an independent movie. Who knows? If we hadn't met on set, maybe we would have met somewhere like that, with you being good friends with Jerry and all."

"Kind of like fate?"

Kelly smiled at him. She put her arms around his neck, pushed herself onto her tiptoes, and embraced his lips with her own. She enjoyed the sensation before pulling away just long enough to whisper.

"So are we okay?" Before he could answer, her lips were on his again. "Or do I need to make it up to you?"

He smiled into their kiss. "Definitely, the last one," he mumbled.

"Mm," she smiled back at him.

As they kissed, his hands gently moved down her back before slowly making their way back up and cradled her neck. Their journey left a trail of fire on her skin, making her knees feel weak. Her head became cloudy and her breathing was shallow as he held her closely. She failed to realize that her hand on his back was what pushed them so close together.

Regrettably, she broke away from him, trying desperately not to gasp for breath.

"You've got a couch, right?" She hinted with a giggle.

He smiled sweetly at her, their faces mere inches apart. "Yeah, I've got a couch. You hintin' at a relocation?" He asked, desperately hoping she didn't want to stop.

She smiled sweetly at him before silently taking his hand and leading him to the living room. They were still grinning at one another as they sat on the couch together.

He leaned in gently, cupping her face in his hand before kissing her softly. The soft kiss became more urgent. One of his hands moved to cradle her neck while the other held her side firmly. His kisses slowly became more pressing and Kelly was eager to reciprocate.

When she felt the tip of his tongue softly stroking her lip, a surge of excitement shot through her and her breathing picked up again. She smiled and his tongue accidentally hit her teeth. She giggled as she remedied the possibly awkward situation and quickly teased his tongue for a second with her own. He smiled at her for a moment before returning to their kisses.

Their tongues continued playing their slow game, nudging one another teasingly. Eventually they had to break apart to regulate their breathing. They stared at one another, panting, chests heaving. Aaron watched as the edges of Kelly's mouth twitched upward. They began a game of poker, matching one another grin for grin. Eventually, they both wore ear to ear grins and chuckled together as their breathing finally slowed.

This moment felt too unreal to Kelly. She felt like a teenager, making out on the couch with her hot boyfriend. She wanted this man so badly but knew she had to wait, which she respected. Yet she wondered how far he would let her go.

Her eyes were still locked with his. She gave him a look she hoped he could read. He responded with the slightest smirk. It was so small Kelly was sure she was the only one who could have ever noticed it. She hoped she was reading his signals correctly.

She moved quickly. Her hands flew to Aaron's face and held him while her lips crashed against his. She opened her mouth, inviting him in. Their tongues finally met one another. Feeling daring, Kelly pushed Aaron back so he could sit straight on the couch, never ending their kiss. She straddled his waist, being careful to keep a distance from him.

He kissed her back passionately with no desire to stop. It occurred to the both of them that they hadn't kissed quite like this since their very first kiss on her doorstep. They began to realize what they had been missing.

Kelly suddenly felt Aaron pushing her away. Unable to hide her disappointment, Kelly ended their kiss and began working on her breathing once again. Aaron was panting too. However, he wasn't meeting her eyes as he had done before.

Instead he was focusing on something else. Something Kelly couldn't place. Suddenly, she realized that he was still moving her. He was twisting them both and putting her on the couch beside him. He moved himself over her and it was impossible to question what he wanted.

Kelly lay down on the couch and Aaron hovered above her for a moment before crashing his lips back into hers. Within a second, however, he had pulled back and was looking around the room.

"Aaron, what-" Kelly started, breathlessly, just wanting to get back to it.

"Hold on a second," he interrupted. He quickly leaned down and grabbed a pillow. "Here," he lifted her neck and placed the pillow under her before returning to her lips. She mumbled her appreciation into their kiss.

Kelly marveled at the compatibility of their kiss. It felt as if his lips were made to kiss hers, like they had been kissing each other forever. But then, Kelly figured, that was probably just a perk of dating an actor. As a result of his job, Aaron had plenty of practice.

As they kissed, they both lost themselves in one another. Aaron held himself up off of her, worried about his weight crushing her as well as his own self-control. He formed a canopy over her which was new to Kelly. Most men became a kind of heavy blanket in these situations. Of course, they were trying to get further than Aaron was.

Another difference was the way he looked at her in the brief moments when they pulled apart. His dark brown eyes were darker due to dilation and they had a smoldering haze about them. It quickened Kelly's heart.

He embraced her in another searing kiss, causing all other senses to fail.

A shrill ring pierced the room's revelry. The two groaned as they broke away. Aaron got off the couch to answer the phone. Kelly sat up and ran her hands through her hair, despite knowing it was ruined from being pushed into the pillow.

Aaron checked the ID on his phone before turning back to Kelly, leaving the phone to keep ringing. He stood beside the table, torn between two choices. He needed to get this call but he didn't want to end his evening with Kelly.

He ran his thumb slowly over his bottom lip, the shining evidence of their encounter disappearing. Kelly read him well.

"Do you need to get that?" She asked softly.

"Yeah," he said, an apology mingled into the word.

"Okay," she said as she straightened herself completely and stood up to get her purse. Aaron moved with her, his eyes never leaving her. As she gathered her things, he put a hand on her back.

"I had a great time tonight."

"You better say that," she teased him gently. He smiled at her.

"Be safe," Aaron said, after they had hugged. "I'll still be on the phone when you get home but send me a message? Let me know you're safe?"

"I will," she assured him, squeezing his hand gently as she walked out the door.

_Sunday afternoon:_

"You can't possibly be nervous?" He asked incredulously.

"A little," she admitted quietly.

Aaron scoffed. "Don't be. They're guys, Kelly." She looked at him. "You're gorgeous. You've already won them over."

"Oh, really? Who says men are superficial?"

"Hey! It's just…" He tried to figure out how to explain it. "Not that looks are all they care about but when they see you… It's just… It's a guy thing, Kelly. We're not as judgmental as a group of women is." He noticed Kelly's glare. "Ok. As a group of women _can_ be."

Kelly still seemed uneasy.

"Look. When I met your friends, they all sized me up and judged me for the sake of your 'protection'. My friends aren't going to do that to you."

"They don't think you need protecting from me?" She teased.

"Well," he started thinking. "I don't know maybe they will. It's not like I date a lot."

"Mm," Kelly mumbled.

The car turned into a long driveway. The house was far from the road and, more importantly to Aaron and Kelly, anyone thinking of taking pictures.

The large house belonged to Aaron's friend, Arthur. Arthur had recently finished a movie in which he was an actor as well as a co writer. To celebrate, he was throwing a party.

Aaron had met Arthur early in his career. As Aaron had described him to Kelly, Arthur was an acquired taste and could only be taken in small doses. He was very driven and quite talented but he could also be selfish and arrogant.

As they pulled up to the mansion, Kelly smiled to herself. As an actor and producer, she had been to plenty of parties where she didn't know anyone.

That would be easy right now, compared to this. She felt she had several reasons to be nervous but, as Aaron drove up to the valet, Kelly swallowed her nerves. She trusted that Aaron would take care of her.

He opened her door and helped her step out of the Jeep. He smiled and she felt her stomach jump. In that tiny moment, Kelly knew she could do this with him beside her.

As Kelly was preoccupied, Aaron had leaned over and whispered in her ear. She only caught the end of the sentence.

"So gorgeous," he whispered. Kelly rolled her eyes as she blushed. She was dressed very casually. Aaron had insisted dressing up was unnecessary.

So she wore a pair of blue jeans, a V-neck black sleeveless shirt, and a pair of black boots. She felt she looked too simple but Aaron's reaction when he saw her sealed the wardrobe. He always told her she was beautiful and it always made her blush. Aaron himself wore a black Polo shirt, jeans that Kelly tried to stop admiring, and a pair of trainers.

Kelly couldn't help but admire how they looked together. They were coordinated without even trying, their heights even complementing one another. But Kelly couldn't help but wonder if their age difference was very visible, especially with them side by side like this.

She shook the thoughts from her head as they entered the party. Upbeat music flowed though the house. Aaron's grip on her hand tightened as he led her though the crowd.

Kelly was relieved there weren't too many people to weave though. Not yet, at least.

She followed Aaron into a room that stood off a bit from the main crowd. The volume of the music was also a bit subdued in this room.

When they entered, two men had turned from their conversation and grinned largely upon seeing Aaron.

One hollered, "Taylor!", and the other yelled, "Hey!"

"Guys," Aaron answered with a smile. They greeted each other with handshakes that somehow didn't seem impersonal. Kelly could explain it only one way: It's a guy thing. No woman would greet her best friends with handshakes. But with these guys, it seemed to fit them.

"Aaron, where you been, man?"

"Yeah, long time no see."

"Sorry about that, guys. I brought someone for y'all to meet," he said, looking at Kelly.

His friends followed and it felt like they had been waiting for Aaron's permission to look at her. Kelly wondered if it was a respect type of thing, as if they respected her as Aaron's and they weren't going to act without his invitation.

"This is Kelly," Aaron said with a large grin. "Kelly, this is Jerry and this is Dan."

Jerry was the man to the right, closest to Aaron. All three men were similar in height with Jerry as the shortest by a mere inch or two. He had shaggy black hair that lay halfway down his ears. He wore black square framed glasses, dark jeans, and a faded yellow t-shirt with letters too faint to read. He was thin but not fit, skinny without being scrawny.

Based on his looks, Jerry didn't seem like someone Aaron would be close friends with. On the other hand, Dan looked more like Aaron. They were both muscular and athletic. Dan's hair was a dirty blonde, shaved close to his head. He was wearing khaki shorts that went past his knees and a dark green sweater.

"You remember Jerry –" Aaron started but Kelly interrupted.

"Of course," she said as she accepted his hand.

"And this is Dan," Aaron repeated. "For a while, all three of us were roommates," he explained.

"Woah, why 'of course'? You tell her all about Jerry but not me?" Dan exclaimed as he smiled and shook Kelly's hand.

"Well, one of our first dates was at Jerry's movie."

"Yeah, man. When you make a movie, people talk about you. People remember you. That's how it works. You should try it sometime," Jerry teased.

"Ha. Ha." Dan laughed sarcastically.

"So," Jerry moved his attention from picking on Dan back to Kelly. "You're what's been keeping our friend so occupied."

"We were worried he'd been abducted or something."

"He doesn't call. He doesn't write," Jerry said dramatically.

They all laughed.

"Well, do you really blame him, Jerry? She's much prettier than us," Dan chuckled.

Kelly blushed from all of the attention.

Aaron smiled at her before asking. "Can I get anybody a drink?"

"I'll help you," Dan offered.

"Jerry, don't scare my girl away," Aaron winked.

They walked to the bar, leaving Kelly and Jerry to themselves.

"I really enjoyed your movie," Kelly started.

Jerry, who seemed so confident before, now looked at the floor.

"That's a compliment," Kelly giggled.

Jerry laughed as well. "I know. I don't take them well," he admitted.

"Well, you should learn how. I have a feeling you'll be getting them a lot."

"I don't know about that but thank you. I'm very glad you liked it. Although, I think you probably enjoyed the company you were with more than the actual movie…" His voice trailed off. He was watching Kelly and she looked down at her hands. She hadn't expected him to jump into that topic so quickly.

Jerry continued after a moment. "He's a good guy."

Kelly looked back up at him. "He is," she said softly. "One of the best I've ever been with."

"You seem like a good person," he pressed softly.

"I try to be."

Jerry smiled. "Good answer. Dan and I haven't ever seen Aaron with anyone. I was just a little concerned. He didn't tell us your name so we couldn't research you."

Kelly laughed at that and Jerry smiled, happy she wasn't freaked out.

"I was just worried he might have found a girl who would take advantage of him when given the chance."

"I wouldn't do that," Kelly said quickly.

"I hope not," Jerry added just as Aaron and Dan returned with drinks.

"What are y'all talking about?" Aaron asked as he handed Kelly a martini.

"How much I liked Jerry's movie," Kelly answered casually.

"Yeah, yeah. It was great," Dan interjected. "Is there nothing else to talk about?"

"Aw, does Danny Boy have little brother issues?" Aaron pressed.

"In all fairness," Jerry stated. "I can't take much of the credit. Between the other actors, the crew, and everyone else, my job was easy and almost unnecessary. Actually Dan helped a lot in editing the script."

"Ehh," Dan shrugged. He had only wanted to tease Jerry about his success, not get any credit for his own work.

"Well, both of you did great. The movie was wonderful," Kelly assured them.

"So you two met on the set of your new movie, right? When can we expect to see that?" Dan asked curiously.

Before either could answer, a man entered. Kelly correctly assumed him to be Arthur.

"Things always get so busy so fast, don't they?"

If Jerry didn't look like someone Aaron would be friends with, Arthur without a doubt seemed like someone Aaron would be enemies with.

Despite everyone else's casual attire, Arthur was wearing a suit.

He was average height with an average build. He had dark hair which he was wearing slicked back. Kelly was sure he had more physical qualities but she didn't notice them. She was too preoccupied with his loud personality.

"You wouldn't believe the headache _that_ caused."

"How did you deal with all of that pressure, Arthur?" Jerry asked sarcastically.

"Well, Jerry, some of us are just capable of handling chaos."

"You've got a great turnout," Dan added, trying to keep the peace.

Arthur glanced around and admired the rooms which were filled to capacity. "I do, don't I?"

The other three men looked at one another and rolled their eyes.

"Don't let it go to your head or anything, Arthur," Aaron snorted.

"Oh, you know I wouldn't."

Arthur's eyes widened briefly as they landed on Kelly. He composed himself before looking from her to Aaron.

"My, how rude of Aaron," he said, with a slight air of arrogance. "I'm Arthur." He put his hand out and Kelly slid hers into it.

"I'm Kelly," she smiled as she shook his hand. However, she was caught off guard as he squeezed her hand tightly before letting go.

"Aaron, you didn't tell us she was such a fox," Arthur said with a small poke to Aaron's ribs.

Determined to not allow the night to become awkward, Kelly joked, "You didn't?"

"No," Aaron answered stone-faced. "I believe I described you as a lovely basset hound," he finished sarcastically.

Everyone laughed.

"That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard," Kelly added.

"You're a true romantic, Aaron. Well, guys, have fun. I've got to go back to my people but I'm glad you all came. Kelly, lovely to meet you," he winked at her.

He was gone as quickly as he had arrived.

"So… that was Arthur," Aaron said, unsure of what else to say.

"He's an acquired taste," Dan said to Kelly.

"That's what Aaron said," Kelly mentioned.

"That's what we all say," Jerry laughed and his friends joined in.

The party continued into the night. Their room remained more subdued than the rest of the house, which they were all happy for since it allowed them to sit, talk, and get to know each other.

Kelly enjoyed being around Jerry and Dan. She could easily understand why Aaron would choose them as friends. They were funny and smart, but also, they were welcoming and didn't take themselves too seriously.

After numerous stories about life as roommates, Aaron started looking at his watch. Truth be told, he was eager to have Kelly to himself. He wanted to know what she thought of his friends but more than that, he knew the closer they were to 'goodbye', the closer he was to her goodbye kiss.

As if reading his friend's mind, Dan spoke up.

"Well, guys," he started before looking at Kelly. "And girl. I've had a great time but uh…" His gaze moved to a redhead across the room. "I've spotted someone I'd like to spend the remainder of my evening with," he finished cheekily.

"You mean, you think she'd offer better conversation than we would?" Jerry asked with a grin on his face.

"I'm banking on little to no conversation actually," Dan replied with a small smirk as his friends laughed at him

"Kelly, it was great to finally meet you." He said genuinely before looking from her to Aaron. "I hope you stick around, keep him in line," he said with a small pat to Aaron's shoulder before getting up and making his way across the room.

Jerry looked down at his watch. "Oh, I didn't realize the time. I've got to go too."

"Let me guess. You've got a better conversation to get to," Aaron chuckled.

"Actually, yes." Jerry said with a chuckle. "I've got meetings tomorrow morning."

"Uh-huh, meetings. Sure," Aaron said, sarcastically.

"No. Legitimate meetings, Aaron."

"Hey, whatever, man. Have as many meetings as you want."

Jerry rolled his eyes.

Aaron turned to Kelly and asked her quietly. "You ready to go?"

She nodded her head.

"We'll walk out with you, Jerry." Aaron said, as he searched the crowd. "Well, I'd say goodbye to Arthur… but…" he didn't finish his thought.

"You know he won't know the difference," Jerry said, a hint of annoyance in his tone.

Aaron chuckled, knowing it was true.

The valet pulled the Jeep around to the front.

They were barely pulling out of the driveway before Aaron asked, "So… what did you think? They weren't too bad, were they?"

Kelly couldn't help but giggle at him. "No, they weren't bad at all. They were great. I can see why you are friends with them." She paused for a moment. "Except maybe Arthur."

Aaron chuckled. "Yeah, I think Arthur keeps us around just to diversify the people he's acquainted with. It's like his mindset is 'Ask not what you can do for your friends, ask what your friends can do for you.'"

"Who said that?" Aaron looked over at her quickly. "The original, the one about country."

"John F. Kennedy… he was President," he answered, with an incredulous tone.

"Hey! I'm Canadian," she defended. "I don't have to know," she said, a laugh in her voice.

"Oh," Aaron chuckled with a roll of his eyes. "I guess I kind of forgot you wouldn't know. I'm sorry."

"I at least recognized the quote! I've got to get points for that, right?"

"You do. You definitely do. In all honesty, there are plenty of Americans who wouldn't even be able to finish the quote much less know who said it."

"Well, working in this country, you pick up on some things," she winked at him.

"So, you did like Jerry and Dan?" He asked, still not fully believing her answers.

"Yes. Aaron, your friends aren't as bad as you seem to think they are," she teased him. "Jerry and Dan seem like great people and I had a really good time talking with them.

"They are funny and you three have a great rapport with one another. It was fun to listen to you guys mess with one another and those stories were hilarious. They were nice and welcoming. I had a great time."

She took his hand in hers and squeezed it. "I mean it," she said softly.

"Okay," he relented. "I've just never introduced anyone to them and with how Arthur was… I got scared that he had ruined it for everyone."

"Please. The night was not ruined by him, at least not for me."

"Good." Aaron finally smiled. "I had a great time too. I know they like you." He squeezed her hand and they rode in a comfortable silence.

Within ten minutes, the Jeep was pulling into Kelly's driveway. Aaron parked the car and turned toward Kelly.

"I'll see you tomorrow night," he said softly. "With Other Kelly," he smiled.

His Kelly giggled. "She'll love being called that."

Aaron smiled at the sound of her laugh before leaning toward her, eager for the goodnight kiss he had been thinking about for so long.

"Aaron," Kelly whispered, moving her head in the opposite direction.

He pulled away from her. "What?" Surely she wasn't shy after Friday night's performance.

"We agreed that we didn't want this to go public before we were ready." He still had the same look on his face so she continued. "If someone gets our picture…"

"But. But you kissed me on your doorstep…" He defended.

"The doorstep has high bushes around it." She pointed out of Aaron's window. "The road is right there. Anyone could see us."

"Well, if they see us in the same car, they'll think the same thing—"

She interrupted his argument. "So I guess we shouldn't go anywhere together then," she finished, knowing that's not something he would want.

He closed his mouth and sat back in his seat, looking straight forward.

"Aaron, I'm sorry," she said softly. "I know this is unorthodox. But privacy is really important to me. It's an unfortunate consequence of our jobs. I just… I can't…"

"I know," he interrupted her softly. "You're right." He told her as he grabbed her hand. "I don't want my family finding out about us through grocery store tabloids. You're right. Not that I like it, mind you. But… you are right."

"Thank you," she said, softly. "I'll still see you tomorrow?"

"Of course," he answered. She smiled at him and squeezed his hand before getting out of his Jeep. He waited until she was safely inside before he pulled away from her house.

_Monday night_:

As Aaron walked toward the front door, he chuckled at his girlfriend. He had left the door unlocked for her when she said she was on her way. But she was knocking on the door, polite as always.

"Hey," he welcomed the two women into his apartment. His eyes were stuck to his Kelly. He smiled at her, wanting to tell her how beautiful she looked. She smiled back before turning to her friend.

"Aaron, this is my best friend, Kelly Rutherford."

He looked from his girlfriend to her friend. He smiled and extended his hand to her.

"It's great to meet you," he told her.

"You, too," she smiled as she shook his hand.

"So, how long have you known each other?"

The Kellys looked at one another, trying to figure the exact date. "15 years?" They agreed.

"Oh, wow," Aaron said.

"And the two of you?"

"A month… and a half," Kelly answered, slowly.

"Well, almost two months, right?" Aaron mentioned.

"Yeah, that's right," Kelly agreed, after thinking again. Her friend nodded her head.

"And the Other Kelly and I have known each other for about 40 seconds," Aaron joked.

"The Other Kelly, that's nice," she said with a smile. "I guess it'll have to do for now."

"Until I can think of a better nickname, I think so," Aaron shrugged apologetically.

"Well, it's not like neither one of us has ever been called that before," the Other Kelly mentioned.

"So you have been in New York?" Aaron asked.

"Yes, we just started filming a series," she answered.

"Oh, cool."

"Hey! Kelly's from Kentucky."

Her boyfriend and best friend looked at Kelly after her sudden outburst. It had taken them by surprise and there was an odd pause.

Aaron tried to fill it. "Oh, that's interesting. I've never been."

Kelly realized no one knew why she'd just blurted that out. "Well, Aaron's from Alabama." When they didn't immediately start talking, she knew they were still confused. "You're both Southern!"

Kelly had been trying to find something they both had in common and that had finally popped into her head.

"Kentucky's not the South," her boyfriend and best friend stated firmly in unison.

"Wow. I'm sorry. It seems close enough; I didn't know Kentucky had been kicked out. They don't tell Canadians these types of things, I guess."

Aaron smiled at his Kelly. "You've really become America-educated these past two days, haven't you?" He chuckled and she smiled sweetly at him.

"Well, now you know. Kentucky is not the South," the Other Kelly stated firmly.

"Hey. Kentucky only wishes it was considered the South." Aaron defended. "_And_ it is considered Southern when it comes to college athletics," he ended matter-of-factly.

"There's nothing wrong with the South," she conceded. "Unless you count marrying your cousin."

Kelly was becoming increasingly concerned. She really didn't want her boyfriend and best friend to start off hating one another.

Much to her relief, Aaron chuckled. "Yep. Cause we all do that." He said sarcastically. "I'm only dating this one until I can get home and marry my cousin, Ellie Mae."

"I knew it. Kelly, it's best you know now."

"Well now, it didn't take me long to figure out a nickname for you, Mason," Aaron smiled.

After a moment, she understood and laughed. "And you've got one too, Dixon."

They laughed together before looking at Kelly, whose face was blank.

The Other Kelly smiled at her. "I'll explain in the car."

She nodded. "We can go. I just need to get something from the kitchen. Aaron, will you help me find it?"

"Sure," he said as he tried to catch up to her. He had no idea what she was looking for. "Kelly, what are you-"

She interrupted him with a kiss once he was in the kitchen and out of her best friend's view. "This," she answered his unfinished question.

He was shocked at her advance but recovered quickly. His hands held her face, keeping her connected to him.

"I owed you from last night," she smiled into his mouth. He grinned back as his hands moved down her back.

After a few minutes, the Other Kirsten grew impatient upon hearing her stomach growl.

"C'mon, Kirsten! Quit making out with your boyfriend and let's go."

"Coming, Edwina," she called, still in Aaron's arms.

"Hey, no fair! I only called you Kirsten, Lydathia!"

"Lydathia?" Aaron asked. "What show's that from?"

"One you'll never see." She placed her hands on his chest and kissed him gently. "Have a great time."

"You, too," he said, following her to the front door. "It was great to meet you," he said, extending his hand toward the Other Kelly.

"You too," she smiled and shook his hand.

"I'll see you later," his girlfriend promised, grabbing his hand quickly and squeezing it firmly.

"Be safe," he wished them off, closing the door behind him.

The two women arrived at the restaurant and had their drink order taken. Finally, Kelly could wait no longer.

"Well," she let the question linger on.

Her friend giggled. "Well, what?'

"You haven't said one thing about him."

"Well, he's very cute."

"That's it?"

"I just met him and it's not like we stuck around for a long time. What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know. What's your first impression?"

"Honestly?"

"Of course."

"Well, he's obviously good looking. He was polite and he seems like a nice guy. But they all do at first."

"He's kind of quiet but he loosens up after a few minutes," Kelly defended him. "But he is a great guy and he makes me laugh." She looked down and fumbled with her napkin. She hadn't explained her feelings about Aaron before, not to Melinda, not even to herself. She felt incredibly vulnerable but forced herself to keep talking. "I feel comfortable around him and safe." She paused before looking back up at her friend. "And he's so different from anyone else I've dated."

The Other Kelly had listened to her best friend gush about this guy. But once she heard the last part, she had to scoff a bit.

"What?" Kelly asked, walls going up.

"Nothing." She could see her friend wasn't convinced. "Well, in all fairness, _he's different from other guys you've dated_? Kelly, you don't date."

"I've been a little short on time, thank you," she snapped. She wasn't sure why she was being so defensive.

"Woah, I'm sorry." Her hands shot up in a sign of surrender. "I know you've been busy. But you have to admit it was an odd thing to hear from you." She paused before asking, "How is he different?" She knew the obvious answers but she wanted to hear her friend's explanation.

"Well, he's not remotely Canadian; most men I date are. I've never dated anyone from the South or a former football player. The last time I dated a virgin I was 18."

"Whoa, what?" The Other Kelly asked, shaking her head. "He's a virgin?"

"Um, yeah. He's waiting for his wife."

"Huh. That's interesting."

"You seem surprised."

"I am. He doesn't really look like someone who would stay a virgin." She elaborated after seeing her friend's face. "I mean, he must have had plenty of more-than-available girls around him for the past ten years."

"I'm sure." Kelly said, not ever giving it much thought.

"So, what else?"

"Well, he's ten years younger than me. I've never dated anyone who was less than a year younger than me."

"Cougars are in," she teased. "Does that ever come up? Your age difference, I mean."

Kelly paused. "Not yet. But surely it will eventually. When things get more serious." She noticed her friend's smirk. "What?"

"You said 'when', not 'if'. You know things will get more serious. I think they will too. Actually," she paused. "I think things are already there."

"What does that mean?"

"I'm just… concerned. All this seems so fast."

Kelly was quiet and her friend was afraid she had offended her. Finally, Kelly spoke. "Does it?" She asked very quietly, looking up at her friend. "Please be honest. I want to sound like the 35-year-old I am. I want to know the answer to my own question, but I don't. When I stop and think about it, things do seem to be moving fast. But when I'm with him... it feels right." She took a sip of her drink, an excuse to stop talking.

"Well, I think that answers your question. Do what you feel, Kelly. Love is taking chances." She paused before softly speaking again. "But please, be careful. I don't want to see my best friend get her heart broken."


	6. One Step Forward

**A/N :** _This is a work of fiction. I own nothing. Do not take this story seriously! It is not happening, it never happened._

_I have taken several liberties for the sake of the story._

_In this chapter, Kelly reveals some of her past. This is total fiction. Kelly is a private person and rarely mentions her childhood, family, or friends._

_I know nothing about Kelly's true past and I never intend to. It's for her to know, not us._

_Though Kelly is very much real, in this story, she is a character, just like Aaron, fictional. _

_Anything she says or does should not be taken as facts, whether they concern the past, present, or future. _

_Thank you. Please enjoy the chapter._

_/_

_'Cause there's a side to you_

_That I never knew, never knew_

_Set Fire to the Rain - _Adele

_/_

"Wanna go to a party?" Kelly asked as she opened her front door for Aaron.

He smiled at her bubbly mood before teasing her. "Um… are you going to be there?" He asked, walking into the living room.

"As long as I have a date," she teased back.

"Of course," he said sweetly before asking whose party it was.

"McG from work."

"Any occasion?"

"Yes and no. Rachel and Peter's birthdays were this month so that's the excuse but mainly McG just wants to have a party."

"Oh," Aaron paused. "So 'McG'? That's his name?"

"Yes. Well… I mean, I'm sure his parents didn't name him that."

They chuckled together. "Hey." Aaron put his hands up. "I don't judge."

Kelly giggled.

The party was two days later and Aaron was trying his best not to cling too much to Kelly. He didn't want to seem like he couldn't stand on his own in a room full of people. But Kelly kept him close.

She didn't want him to be overwhelmed by her friends and coworkers, or hazed again. However, she quickly learned she didn't have to worry about that. Aaron's charisma drew people to him.

He had no problem with the women. Of course, Kelly knew that wouldn't be a problem. Melinda, Rachel, and Autumn were gathered around him, clearly charmed by his subtle humor.

But, as soon as he could, Ben snatched Aaron away from the ladies to talk about college football. Kelly smiled as she watched them chat animatedly.

"I mean, no offense, Kelly, but if you weren't dating him, I would," Rachel joked, making Kelly laugh.

"He's a great guy," Autumn added.

"I know," Kelly said softly. "He is."

Ben and Aaron were still talking about football when McG turned on the huge television and called for everyone to join him in the entertainment room.

Kelly slipped her hand into Aaron's as they walked to the couch. She sat down on the sofa, pulling Aaron down beside her. As she snuggled into him a bit, she noticed Peter sitting quietly on the other side of the couch.

She had only seen him once this evening and hadn't heard him at all.

"Hey, Peter," she said quietly.

Aaron turned to see him and sent him a small wave. "Hey, man."

"Hey," he said, acknowledging them with a wave of his own. Kelly turned back toward Aaron and said something that was surely smart and witty. Peter watched as Aaron smiled and put a small kiss on her forehead, before being startled back to the present by McG's booming voice.

"Thanks everyone for coming to this viewing party-slash-birthday party-slash-just-cuz-I-wanna party." The room chuckled. "So before we watch the episode, I thought we could play a little game."

McG pressed a button on one of his many remote controls. The words 'Scene It? The O.C.' floated across the screen.

Kelly looked around, unsure of what exactly this was. As Melinda explained, 'Scene It' is a trivia game for the show and a lot of McG gatherings include a round or two of the game. Some people enjoyed it while others, not so much.

McG set the preferences to 'Random Group Play' and the game began. The first question was about a band which Adam answered right away. The next was a Ryan question which Ben was put on the spot to answer.

The questions varied in every way. Different characters, different seasons. Quotes, trivia, pictures.

After about a dozen questions, a title card flashed on the screen unlike one they'd seen in this game.

It read, 'Finish the Line.' McG explained quickly that the show would play but stop before it was over and it was up to you to finish the next line.

The scene started and it was from season two. Alan Dale and Kelly were in the Cohen kitchen. Yelling at each other.

"_Why do you think Mom drank the way she did?" _Kirsten Cohen yelled at her father.

"Oh, no," Kelly said, immediately getting up and pulling Aaron with her. The scene progressed as everyone laughed at her inability to stay. Aaron couldn't help but smile fondly at the woman pulling him toward the kitchen.

"_I may like my chardonnay…"_ That's where the scene ended.

As Aaron and Kelly entered the kitchen, the living room boomed with everyone's voices in unison. "But I am _not_ going to die alone and that's more than I can say for _you_!"

"I think they're winning now," Aaron teased her as he put a hand on her side, asking her to stop walking away. Finally, she turned to face him, her head still ducked down.

Aaron smiled at her before commenting quietly. "You're so cute."

Kelly looked up into his eyes. His sincere gaze coupled with his adoring smile melted her.

She smiled at him before resting her forehead against his. Their hands found each other and Kelly's smile grew wider. Aaron rubbed his nose gently against hers and she giggled.

Suddenly, Ben's voice and presence were in the kitchen. "You know, Kelly…" He stopped speaking after noticing their intimate posture. Aaron and Kelly immediately let each other go.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" He started.

At that moment, Peter walked in to join them. He quickly realized what had happened and hated the way it made him feel inside. The image of Aaron with his arms wrapped around Kelly, her hands in his hair. The image Peter had tried to keep out of his mind was now stuck there.

Despite Aaron's claimed virginity, Peter wasn't convinced. To him, even though subconsciously he knew better, the attraction between Kelly and this boy was merely physical. It didn't even occur to him that Ben might be embarrassed because he walked in on an intimate moment instead of an instant of heated passion.

"It's fine, Ben. This is a public place after all," Kelly said with a smile. Underneath the smile, she felt ten times more awkward with Peter there than she would have if it was just Ben that had walked in.

"Well, we are finished with the game. The feature presentation is starting," Ben stated.

"Thanks," Kelly said.

Peter said nothing, merely grabbing a beer and going back to his seat on the couch.

"Want a drink?" Aaron asked her as he grabbed a bottle of water. Kelly accepted water for herself and they walked with Ben back to the living room.

They returned to their spots on the couch. Peter's stomach lurched again as, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aaron place another kiss on Kelly's head.

The show began and the lights turned off.

Aaron was thankful for the darkness. Within just a few minutes of the show starting, Kelly snuggled into him a bit more, knowing the darkness would hide them.

His hand slowly moved up and down her back. After about ten minutes of the relaxing gesture, Kelly leaned over and rested her head on his chest. Aaron smiled at her and stroked her hair softly. As they sat there, their focus wavered from the television. For Kelly, there was nothing but Aaron's heartbeat. To him, all he could pay attention to was the intoxicating scent of her hair.

Before they knew it the show wrapped, the party was over, and everyone was on their way home.

_Friday Night_

Kelly was over at Aaron's house, getting ready to watch one of each of their projects, like they had agreed to.

Aaron's selection was a ten minute compilation of commercials and small voiceovers he had done.

"My mom and Megan recorded all the things from when I first started," Aaron explained to Kelly as his television counterpart applied zit cream to his chin.

After much self deprecation from Aaron, his 'reel' was done. Kelly put a DVD into the player and sat down on the couch.

"This was my first big budget movie," she told him as the beginning menu for 'Hook' appeared on the screen.

"Hey. I've seen this movie!" Aaron exclaimed. "I didn't realize you were in it."

"Mmhm. I played Peter Pan's mother," she said, not informing him of how little screen time she actually had.

"Oh, ok. Yeah," he said awkwardly. He couldn't remember any scene with Peter Pan's mother. But he knew better than to tell her that.

They leaned back into the couch and Aaron put his arm over her, pulling her close to him. The movie began and eventually Kelly's part appeared. Aaron was torn between watching her on screen and watching her on his couch.

"Wow," he stated when her part was over.

She looked up at him, unsure of the meaning of his word.

"You played, like, the worst mother of all time." She smiled. "So…" he put his hand up. "High five for that." She hit his hand with hers and smiled as Aaron held onto it and gave it a squeeze.

"Seriously though, great job," he told her as he leaned in to give her a kiss.

"You too. I'm proud of you for getting rid of those blemishes," she said before he could kiss her. She gently touched his stubbled cheek.

He laughed with her before giving her a quick kiss.

As they watched the movie, they didn't seem to notice their eyes getting heavier.

A tight feeling in his neck woke Aaron. He let out a small groan as he worked the knot loose. He slowly began to realize what had caused the pain in the first place. He was still with Kelly on his couch. He smiled at her, knowing that since the movie was done and she hadn't moved, she was asleep. His legs were still on the coffee table and as he stretched them, he knocked over his empty cups.

Kelly's eyes opened sleepily and finally she looked up at Aaron. She smiled tiredly, her eyes still a bit hazy.

"Sorry I fell asleep on you," she said softly.

"Sorry for falling asleep on you," he answered.

She grinned as she stretched. "How long were we out? What time is it?" she asked, searching for a clock.

Aaron spied the digital television box. "Two o'clock," he chuckled.

"Two?" She shrieked, suddenly very awake. "I thought it was 12 or something." Her fingers were flying through her hair as she searched the room for her shoes and purse.

"I need to go," she said, pulling her shoes on.

"Woah," Aaron jumped up after her. "Kelly, it's late."

"Exactly why I need to go."

"It's 2 in the morning. And you're tired. You could fall asleep behind the wheel."

"Not likely. I'll be fine. I have to drive sleepy a lot."

"Well, you shouldn't if you don't have to. Plus, all the crazy people are out there right now."

"Aaron," she began.

"Please." He cut her off. "Please don't drive." His voice was soft, pleading.

Kelly's grip on her keys relented and they dropped into her bag.

"Then what do you propose I do?"

Aaron smiled gratefully. "Take my bed and I'll take the couch."

"No. I'm not going to kick you out of your own bed. I'll take the couch."

"No way, Kelly. My mother raised me right. You take the bed and let me be a gentleman."

Kelly paused for a moment, finding the right words. "Well, if you're such a gentleman, then we should be fine sharing your bed, wouldn't you think?"

Aaron stammered on his words. "Uh…"

"I promise I'll stay on my side."

"O-kay," he said slowly. She grinned.

"Let's get you something to wear." He led the way back to his bedroom. Kelly followed slowly, suddenly very quiet. She had never been in his room before.

Aaron hadn't given a second thought to inviting Kelly into his room. It wasn't until she was standing in his room that Aaron noticed how messy it was.

Kelly took in her surroundings. His bed was large and unmade with dark sheets and two dark blankets strewn on top. Folded clothes sat on the floor in a corner.

A fan spun slowly on the ceiling. His walls were bare and the stand by his bed held merely a lamp, one book, and an alarm clock.

Kelly was surprised there were no photos of his family and friends. There were none in the rest of his apartment. After hearing him talk about them so often, she thought surely there would be photos in his room.

"So, pajamas," he said quickly. Kelly noted his tone of voice. She tried to look only at him, not wanting him to think she was judging his room.

When he turned to her, he had a t-shirt, a pair of boxer shorts, and pajama pants.

"Pants or shorts?" He asked. She stumbled for an answer, not wanting to make him uncomfortable but wanting to be comfortable herself as well.

"Hm," he pondered. "Probably shorts. My A/C isn't as low as yours, Canada," he grinned.

She took the shorts and a t-shirt and headed toward the bathroom. Before she could close the door, she could hear him rushing around his room, tossing what sounded like clothes and sheets. Kelly smirked. She figured maybe she should tell him to take his time tidying up since it would take her several minutes to curb the nervousness that was setting in.

She slowly removed her own clothes and folded them neatly. Finally, she held up the shirt Aaron had given her. It was a grey t-shirt with faded red writing. It had definitely been around for a while but the fabric was incredibly soft. Kelly pulled it over her head. It felt like it swallowed her slight frame. She looked in the mirror. While this 'Alabama football' shirt didn't make her feel very sexy, it was quite comfortable. She pulled the collar close to her nose and breathed in deeply. The shirt also smelled like Aaron, something she had noticed as she pulled it on.

She looked at herself in the mirror, amazed at how awake she now felt. The idea of sleeping in Aaron's bed with him had acted like a shot of espresso.

She stood nervously in front of the mirror, pulling at her hair, irritated by its messiness after her nap. After it seemed tame, she ran a finger under each eye, wiping the tiny smudges of mascara away. She was thankful that her makeup had been subtle so she could get away with not washing it all off. She wasn't sure she was quite ready for Aaron to see her without any makeup on. Ironic that just a few weeks ago she had been ready for him to see her without any clothes on. But things were different now. She looked at him differently now.

With one final hand through her hair and a long gargle of mouthwash, Kelly said goodbye to the mirror and walked out of the bathroom.

Aaron heard the door open and his heart, which only moments ago he had managed to settle, began to race once again. He looked her way as she walked into the room.

He was amazed. Was it possible that one person could look that good in anything?

"Hey," he said, barely keeping his voice even.

"Hi," she said softly. He had also changed and was now wearing a pair of dark blue pajamas pants and a red shirt that hung loosely on his shoulders.

He fumbled around with the odds and ends that cluttered his dresser while she stood on the other side of his bed. He had pulled the sheets back in a very neat fashion; something Kelly was sure was only done for her benefit. She smirked before looking back in Aaron's direction expecting to still be facing his back. However, she was surprised to see him staring back at her, a smile on his lips.

Aaron looked at her nervously, desperately wanting to ask her what she was thinking. She turned her back to him and sat on the side of the bed. He followed her lead and sat on the opposite side. A few moments passed in silence before a thought occurred to Aaron. He turned to look in Kelly's direction.

"Did you find everything okay? Do you need anything?"

Kelly turned to him. "No. No, I'm fine." She answered quickly startled by the sudden break in the quiet.

"Alright," Aaron said quietly. "I guess we're all ready then."

Neither moved.

"Really, Kelly. I'm fine to sleep on the couch." He reached for his pillow and stood up.

"No, Aaron." She put a hand on the pillow.

He sighed. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"You're not." Aaron raised his eyebrows. "I'm just a little nervous." He still didn't look convinced. "Promise." She smiled sweetly and he let go of the pillow.

"Nervous?" He asked as he sat back down and they both swing their legs onto the bed.

"Yeah," she answered softly.

"Nervous to get in my bed but eager to drag me into yours." He said with a chuckle.

"I was hoping we wouldn't bring that up." She said as she blushed and looked at her hands.

"Sorry." He chuckled before adding. "Just when I have you figured out." He winked at her.

She smiled. Aaron moved slowly and lay back against the pillows. Kelly paused before following him. He smiled at her as they faced one another in the bed.

"Good?" He asked her.

"Mmhmm," she nodded. Aaron reached over and turned out the light.

Slowly, his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he could see Kelly, or at least her silhouette. Despite his having been asleep a few minutes prior, Aaron was wide awake. Having a beautiful woman in his bed was certainly having its effect on him.

"Aaron?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," he said, propping himself up on his elbow.

"I noticed… It just seemed a little odd. You don't have pictures of your family anywhere."

Without a word, he lay down on his back and looked at the ceiling. Kelly was about to apologize.

"I haven't felt at home here. I'm not really an LA person. I don't care much for parties. I don't do drugs. Apart from my job, Dan, Jerry, and now you, LA hasn't impressed me much. I get homesick. And pictures… only seem to make it worse." He paused before joking. "And I don't have any frames," he chuckled.

"I get that. Homesickness, I mean. There are things I love about LA but it'll never be home."

"Where's home?" He asked, propping himself up on his elbow.

"Well, there's Ottawa where I was born and lived until I was twelve. But Toronto's where Mom lives and I spent my life from twelve to nineteen. They both feel like home but Toronto more so, I guess. Because Mom is there."

"Must be hard being so far away from her. You seem to be close to her."

"Well, we didn't have much of a choice. Being close, I mean," Kelly said with a sigh. "She had me when she and my father were seventeen. Needless to say, they weren't ready for a baby. Well, neither of them were but especially not my dad." She paused, wondering if it was too soon for this conversation. Before she could decide, the words were out of her mouth. "He left us when I was eight," her voice cracked and her ears turned pink. She was grateful to the darkness which hid them. "I haven't truly spoken to him in… I don't know how long. He's not even my dad anymore; he's just a guy with a drinking habit who bothers my mom."

Aaron didn't know what to say. He hadn't expected her to start baring her soul. It pained him to hear her so hurt and he longed to pull her into his arms.

Softly, he said, "So your father's an alcoholic and you portray one on TV?"

"Yeah, a little messed up. Or perfect match, I'm not sure."

"Must be hard." The only response was a sniffle. Aaron's chest tightened.

Suddenly, Kelly felt Aaron's warm hand gently cup her face and his lips embracing her in a slow comforting kiss.

When they broke away, Kelly giggled. "I promised to stay on my side."

"Yeah, well… I changed my mind." He rolled onto his back but stayed close to her, holding her hand.

"So are you close to your parents?"

Aaron stopped breathing for a minute and his hand tightened around hers. Quickly, he came to his senses, loosened his grip, and took a breath, hoping Kelly hadn't noticed.

"Um, Mom and I are close enough. My dad…" his throat felt dry. "He's not around."

"Oh, Aaron, I'm sorry."

"I don't really talk about it."

"That's okay. You don't have to." She said, snuggling into him.

After several moments of silence, Aaron spoke. "I'm so not tired. How'd that happen?"

"I know it. We were knocked out on the couch but now I'm wide awake."

Aaron chuckled. "Me too."

"Can I ask you another question?"

He swallowed thickly. "Mmhm."

"When did you decide to wait?"

Aaron smiled in both reliefs in amusement. "I was wondering when you would ask."

"What? A girl gets curious."

"Relax, sweetie. I have no problem telling you." He chuckled. "Well, the South is notoriously religious. My family wasn't much for church though. Sometimes we'd go for Christmas or Easter but nothing regular. But when I was almost 16 I went to a youth service on Wednesday, which my friends and I often did. It was a free air conditioned, parent approved place to hang out.

"This particular night's topic was purity. So they separated the girls and guys and the younger kids and older kids. I wasn't really listening until the speaker made a point that really hit me. He said, 'Your future wife is out there right now. Maybe she's in this room, maybe she's 100 miles away. But she's perfect for you and she's out there. And just like you, she'll be tempted to have sex. She'll have boys, and later men, interested in her. She may kiss someone else, touch someone else, have sex with someone who's not you. And when you finally meet her that could cause some jealousy and mistrust. Would you love for her to be yours and only yours? To be the only one to see her vulnerable like that, the only one to see her naked, to touch her.'

"I'm paraphrasing here, by the way. But I thought that sounded nice. Then the speaker added, 'However, you have no control over your future wife. She's going to do what she wants to do. The only person you can control is yourself. Wouldn't you like to be able to give that gift to your wife? That you are hers and only hers.' I went home and kept thinking about what he had said. Finally I just decided that I wanted to give that gift to my wife. She'll never worry that I'm comparing her to anyone else. She won't have to wonder if I have an STD or if I've ever gotten a girl pregnant. She'll know I'm hers and only hers."

"Wow." She said softly, truly touched by his words. "There aren't many men who think like that, who care about their future wife."

"Well, I've never worried myself with a search for my soul mate or something like that. I'm of the camp that love finds you, not the other way around."

"I've got a lot of respect for you, Aaron Taylor," she said and snuggled further into him.

"Likewise, Kelly Rowan." They smiled before settling into a comfortable silence. Soon, Kelly's soft snore floated through the room. Aaron smiled sleepily at the adorable noise before slumber overtook him.

He woke the next day with his girlfriend's body curled up next to him. She faced him though her golden curls shadowed his view. His hand gently rested on her waist.

Aaron smiled at her sleeping form before silently creeping gout of bed and letting her sleep in.

A little while after he had left, Kelly woke up in a bed that wasn't hers. She smiled at the thought.

She had spent the night with Aaron Taylor.

She buried her face in his pillow and breathed in his scent. It gave her chills.

Aaron could be heard shutting cabinets in the kitchen. Kelly got up hurriedly and rushed to the master bathroom to make herself presentable.

Once satisfied with her appearance, she joined him in the kitchen.

"Hey," he said brightly.

"Hi," she said softly, accepting his hug.

"Did you sleep okay?"

"Yeah. Very well, actually. And you?"

"As well as you can with a gorgeous woman next to you." He winked at her. "I have trouble sleeping in new places so I was concerned you might not sleep well."

"No. I slept great."

"Great," he repeated. "Now I need you to teach me how to cook breakfast for you," he joked, knowing what he normally ate would not be right for her.

After breakfast, Aaron's phone rang. He looked from the caller ID to Kelly and put a finger on his lips, signaling to stay quiet.

"Hey, Mom," he said before getting up to continue his conversation.

"Just eating some breakfast. How about you?"

Even though he left the room, Kelly could still hear him.

"Yeah, well, another year under his belt to hand over the rest of us. I'm sure he is thrilled."

"Probably not." He was a lot more solemn now. "I know." He was quiet. "I _know_. I just… there's a lot going on." He paused. "Well, just tell her... tell her I'm sorry."

Aaron said goodbye and rejoined Kelly in the kitchen without a word about the call.

The next few days had Kelly regretting her silence about the phone call. Aaron didn't call her or return her calls for almost three days, which was unlike him.

Kelly reminded herself that Aaron had started working again and as a result was busier than he had been. She went to visit him at the production company that Jerry, Dan, and two other guys owned. Aaron was helping with their newest project.

"Hey, Kelly," Dan welcomed her warmly.

"Hi, Dan," she smiled sweetly. "How are you?"

"Whoo. Busy. But that's good, right?"

"I always think so."

"I'll ask even though I know the answer. What brings you to our humble company? Want a job?" He teased.

"Aaron's been so busy recently. I thought I'd surprise him. Maybe take him to lunch."

"Well, he's not in the best mood today but then again, it is September." By her silence, Dan realized he had said too much.

"September? What does that mean?"

"Well, Aaron's brother, Bobby. His birthday's in September. So Aaron usually gets a little moody and goes back home for the birthday party. He's just never really liked his brother."

"Oh," she said. "Well, maybe I can get his mind off of it."

Dan pointed her toward where she could find Aaron. She knocked on his door before going in.

Obviously, he hadn't heard her. He was on the phone and was pacing the room. Upon entering, Kelly caught the tail end of his statement.

"_Megan_," he had said harshly before turning to see Kelly entering the room. He turned away from her. This was the last thing he needed.

Kelly was surprised he was speaking to anyone so harshly, much less his sister. She was embarrassed as the conversation continued, however, she couldn't escape. He had seen her come in; there was no slipping back out.

"Look, not this year. I can't.

"Megan. I do not expect you to get it.

"Yeah, no, _I_ understand that. I understand it better than you, don't you think?"

It was obvious she had hung up without warning. Aaron put his phone down.

"Yes?" He finally spoke to Kelly.

"I-" her voice was hoarse. "I thought maybe you'd like to go to lunch."

"It's not really a good time."

"If you want to talk…"

"I don't."

"Dan told me-"

"Told you what?" he turned around quickly.

"Your brother's birthday. You go home for it."

"Dan should stay out of it. This isn't about-" He stopped short. "This isn't his business."

"He was just being nice to me."

Aaron snorted and Kelly felt her stomach lurch.

"Look," she said. "If you want to go back home, don't let me stop you."

"I'm not going but don't worry, you're not the reason."

Kelly was silent for a moment, letting the silence absorb his words. "I wish you trusted me enough to tell me what's wrong. It's okay that you don't But I wish you did."

With that, she left.

The next day, Peter approached Kelly at work.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Why?" She asked quickly.

"You just seem a bit preoccupied. That's all."

"Oh."

"Let's see. Boy trouble?"

Kelly giggled. "Am I that obvious?"

"A lucky guess," Peter chuckled.

She smiled. It felt like it used to. Before Aaron's presence had made Peter distant. Before Aaron came along and distracted her attraction to Peter. Feeling this almost seemed like cheating. Almost.

"But how are you two having trouble? You're in that honeymoon phase. Well, not honeymoon because he doesn't do that." She rolled her eyes. "But you know, things are supposed to be easy."

"They were. But nothing stays perfect forever, right?"

Peter's gaze into her eyes caused her breath catch in her throat. "Are you sure you want to hear all this?"

"I asked, didn't I?" he said softly. "But I guess if you'd feel more comfortable talking with Mindy or your mom, I understand."

"Well, Mom doesn't actually know so-"

"Wait, your mom doesn't know you're dating?"

"No. I don't want her looking him up on the internet before she ever meets him."

"I thought she didn't even know how to use a computer."

"Oh, she'd figure it out for this."

Kelly continued on about Aaron not calling her but Peter was preoccupied. Kelly was so close to her mother. She told her mom everything. How was it possible she didn't know about this?

"He's distant. I just don't know how to act around him."

"Have you tried talking to him about it?"

"Yeah, just yesterday actually."

"And?"

"Said he didn't want to talk about it. But he'd just been on the phone with his sister and he was… I don't know. He wasn't mean or anything. I've just never seen him anything but happy, I guess." She muddled the truth a bit about him being mean. She couldn't help it. She was afraid it might give Peter more ammunition.

"Are you sure it's his sister?"

Kelly's eyes shot up to look at Peter. "I… I didn't consider an alternative."

"Oh, Kelly. C'mon."

Was Peter right? Could it have been someone else Aaron was talking to? With her mind rushing, Kelly was unable to recall any detail of the conversation that would confirm the caller as his sister.

"Kelly, how well do you really know him?" He saw his opportunity. "I'm worried about you. That you're moving too fast with him. That you're trusting him too quickly." Kelly was silent and didn't look at him. Little did Peter know that he was the second person to mention how quickly she and Aaron were moving.

Peter was called to the set. Before leaving, he added.

"Look, all I can tell you, protect your heart. You've only got one, you know."

As he left, he passed Melinda, who had just finished her scenes.

"Hey, Kelly," she said as she sat down.

"Hi," Kelly stated quietly.

Melinda could tell she was distracted but she wasn't going to pry into Kelly's business.

"Let me ask you something."

"Okay," Melinda noticed how serious Kelly sounded.

"Am I moving too fast? Aaron and I, are we moving too fast?"

"Well…"

"We are, aren't we?" Kelly said quickly.

"I didn't say that."

"You were thinking it."

"I was thinking that you _are_ moving fast. Too fast? I think that's up to you. Does it feel too fast to you?"

"Well… When I think about it-"

Melinda interrupted her. "Woah. 'When you think about it'?" She shook her head. "Love isn't about thinking. It's about feeling." She paused. "What does being with Aaron feel like?"

"It feels… like being young. I feel happy when I'm with him. Comfortable and safe."

"Does it feel right when you're together?"

Kelly hesitated, wanting to think before she answered.

"No thinking," Melinda reprimanded.

"Yes, it does. It feels right."

"Then screw what anyone else says. If you and Aaron are happy, that's all that matters. You are the one who has to live with your relationship. Not everyone else."

"Thanks, Mindy."

"So what's brought on these doubts?"

"Well, I was just telling Peter, Aaron's been acting odd lately. Distant."

"Hm, and you don't know why?"

"No. Well, I've got an idea. I overheard two phone calls. I think it's family trouble."

"Ah. Well, you can't force him to let you in."

"I know."

"Just try to be there for him. And remember he is young but more importantly, he's a man. They require a lot of patience and forgiveness," Mindy winked.

Kelly giggled. "Thanks, Mindy."

"You're welcome," she smiled as she left. Once she knew Kelly couldn't see her, she rolled her eyes.

"_Peter_," she cussed under her breath.

It would be close to the end of the day before Melinda could make her way to his trailer. He wasn't expecting her and she walked in as he was ending a phone call.

"Hello, Melinda. What brings you-"

She interrupted him. "What are you doing, Peter?"

His heart began to race. How did she know?

"I haven't done anything."

"He makes her happy, you know." Her voice remained steady. "I know you're used to that being you. But she's got someone now. It's not up to you to decide if he's good enough."

"I just don't want her to get hurt."

"Getting hurt is part of life, Peter. You can't protect her from it. And it's not your job to, anyway." She paused to let her words sink in before giving him one last instruction. "Leave it alone, Peter."

He watched her walk out of the door as he thought to himself that it may be a little late for that.


	7. Secrets Don't Have Friends

**A/N :**_ Merry Chrismukkah, readers! Keep an eye out for a holiday themed one-shot in a few days! :)_

The next day, Aaron called Kelly three times before she answered.

"Hey. I've been calling you all day," he said.

"Sorry. It just wasn't a good time," she said quickly, reusing his phrase from yesterday.

"O-kay. Well, I thought maybe we could get together tonight. I could pick up some food and you could meet me at my place?"

"Fine."

"Alright. Seven-ish?"

"Fine."

"Okay. See you then."

She couldn't believe him. Not even one word about the day prior. Maybe he would explain tonight.

Dinner had barely started before the fireworks began.

"Who peed in your organic cereal?" Aaron asked once he got the hint that Kelly was angry

"Excuse me?" Now, she was fuming.

"What are you so mad about?"

"Before? Or now?"

"This isn't about yesterday, is it?"

"Brilliant. You finally got it!"

"You can't be serious."

"Aaron. You're extremely moody, arguing on the phone, and super mysterious about it…"

"And you said I didn't have to talk about it. That you understood."

"Well, I don't."

"No, you don't! You don't understand a damn thing. No one does so don't worry about trying."

"I don't understand why you can't trust me. I told you things. About my past, my father."

"Oh, so if you tell me everything, I'm supposed to tell you everything. Is that what how it works?" He asked with venom in his voice.

"No! That's not what I meant!"

"Well, what _do _you mean? Why would you tell me those things if you didn't want something in return?"

She was fuming. "Because I trusted you! And I don't know, laying next to you in the dark, it felt right. Like I could tell you anything. Guess I was wrong."

Tears filled her eyes and Aaron felt his throat tighten. Despite his heart hurting for her, he remained stubborn.

Finally he spoke. "Kelly," he started but didn't know how to finish.

Once it was clear Aaron wasn't saying anything else, Kelly rolled her eyes and tears slid down her cheeks.

"Don't, Aaron," she said as he moved toward her.

Kelly gathered her purse and let herself out, leaving Aaron angry with himself.

Kelly drove home in anger but once she was inside, the silence was heavy. She undressed and took a shower, trying to let the hot water wash away her anger and sadness. But tears began to slip down her cheeks and join the bath water.

She hated herself for crying but eventually stopped fighting the inevitable.

Meanwhile, Aaron sat in his living room. He had tried to get his mind away from everything. But before he knew it, he was rummaging through a box and pulling out an old photo album. He sat down and flipped through the pages.

Aaron wondered if he could let someone in. He would have to make himself vulnerable. But would remaining closed be worth losing her? He felt like he trusted her but he didn't know if he could tell her. He remembered Kelly's expression as she had left him, the disappointment and hurt obvious. His heart ached knowing that he had made her cry.

'_Don't lose her, son.'_

Aaron sat up straight on the couch, his heart pounding. Suddenly, he knew what to do as all questions left this mind. He grabbed his keys and ran out the door.

Kelly heard a knock on her door. She was in her sweatpants and a comfy t-shirt and she wasn't in the mood for company.

She peeked through the peephole of the door and saw Aaron standing there. She really didn't feel like fighting with him again. So she decided not to answer and walked away. However, a few steps from the door, she stopped. There was just something about him, pulling her in.

Kelly sighed and opened the door.

"Hi," he said simply, an apology in his voice.

"Hi," she answered softly.

"I know you're frustrated and angry with me and I understand why. And I want to explain why I'm this way. But I need you to know how hard this is for me."

Kelly moved to the side, inviting Aaron in. He stood in the foyer and waited on Kelly to lead the didn't move.

"Can we sit down or something?"

"Sure," she said softly. His serious tone was starting to worry her.

They sat on the couch and were silent for a moment. Aaron stared at his hands then looked up at her. His nervous energy made him get out of his seat and paced in front of her. He looked very unprepared to tell her whatever it was.

"Look, Aaron. You don't have to tell me. I'm not going to force you-"

"You're not forcing me," he interrupted softly.

She gave him a look, telling him she didn't buy it. Aaron sat down beside her and looked into her eyes.

"I promise. I want to tell you. It's just… I haven't ever talked about this with anyone."

Now Kelly felt a bit intimidated.

"But I trust you and for the first time, I want to talk about it."

Her heart was racing, apprehensive toward what he was going to tell her.

"Eight years ago, I was 17 and in my senior year. I was a starter on the football team and I knew what I was going to do with my life. I was going to play college football at Alabama and then go the NFL.

"But one night in September changed my plans. I'm a light sleeper and around 3 a.m., a noise woke me up. I got up to see what it was and my dad was leaving. I asked him what was wrong and where he was going but he just told me he'd be right back and to go back to bed. So that's what I did. I laid down and tried to go to sleep but all I did was doze, you know? My eyes were closed but I wasn't really asleep.

"Around 5, our phone rang. And immediately, I knew. I knew Dad hadn't been home and I knew something was wrong. A little while later, Mom knocked on my door and let herself in, thinking I would be asleep but I was dressed, ready to go. She seemed surprised but didn't say anything. She told me my grandmother was coming from up the road to stay with me and my sister."

Kelly had forgotten about Megan and quickly she did some math. If Aaron was seventeen, that made Megan eight.

"But I told Mom I was going with her. She just looked at me for a second and then said, 'Let's go.' We got in the car and I didn't even know where we were going. I didn't want to ask," he took a deep breath. "Before long, we pulled up at the hospital."

Aaron paused and looked away. It was clear how much it hurt him to tell this story. Kelly took a hold of one of his hands, needing the contact.

"My dad…" Aaron's voice caught in his throat. "My dad had left to pick up his best friend, Mike Grant." His voice stumbled over that name. "Mike's wife had just left him and he was devastated. So most nights he would get incredibly drunk. Usually, he was at his own house. But some nights he would go to bars and hang out with the other miserable folks. And it was always my dad going and picking him up.

"So that night when he called, of course my dad went to get him. They were driving down the road. And for some stupid idiotic reason Mike thought it'd be funny to grab the wheel and not let go. He drove the truck into a tree going around 50 mph."

Tears pooled in Aaron's eyes. "He killed my dad." His voice broke on the last word.

Kelly sniffled as she watched Aaron's wall coming down. It was a few minutes before he spoke again. His voice and stare were hardened now. "Mike was fine though. Just cut up from the glass and a burn from the airbag."

He wouldn't look at Kelly but she could tell his eyes were full of hate.

"At the hospital, they told us it was instant. We knew it was a lie because they wouldn't have had us go to the hospital if they thought there was a chance." He cleared his throat. "Afterwards, I, uh, I shut down. I wouldn't talk about anything but especially not what happened. Not with Mom, not with my brother or sister. Not with my friends. I just… I didn't want to think about it but it was all anyone wanted to talk about.

"How I was doing, how Mom was coping. What a lovely service, such a great man. And even when they didn't say anything, I could see it in their eyes. That pity. I couldn't take it." He took another deep breath. "So that's why I'm such a joy to be around in September. And I'm sorry because it's not your fault. I just… I don't like talking about it and I don't like burdening others with my ghosts."

"I'm just sorry I pressured you so much to tell me."

"No, you didn't." Kelly glared at him. "Well, sort of. But, sweetie, if I hadn't been ready, I wouldn't have been able to tell you."

Kelly focused on his eyes. They were sincere but they still held a deep sadness.

"So you really haven't talked about it before?

He shook his head. "My father and I were close. To actually acknowledge that he's gone by saying it or hearing it, it's like losing him all over again. I don't even remember what was said at his funeral. I just blocked the preacher out. I couldn't deal with it then and I've been running away ever since."

He ran a hand over his face.

"I guess… I guess I just don't see the point. Talking about him won't bring him back."

"No. But it might help you cope."

Aaron finally looked at her. "I've been coping pretty well," he said sarcastically.

"Baby, if this is coping 'pretty well'…" Kelly stopped mid-sentence as she noticed Aaron grinning. "What?"

"You called me 'baby'."

"So what if I did?" She asked playfully. Aaron smiled back at her before becoming serious again.

"You're not calling me a baby, are you? Because you saw me cry?" He joked.

"No…" Kelly said, taking his hand in hers and giving it a squeeze.

Aaron moved closer to her. For a moment, she thought he was going to kiss her but instead, he just rested his forehead against hers.

After a few moments, Aaron whispered, "Thank you." He paused. "For listening. And for forgiving me."

"You're welcome." She paused before adding playfully. "But I never said I forgave you."

Aaron's head shot up with concern, not registering the mock seriousness.

"I mean, no chocolate _or _flowers?"

"Oh, I didn't want to be cheesy so I didn't bring them in but they are in the car."

Kelly laughed.

"I'll go get them."

Kelly's smile faded. "You're serious?"

Aaron looked at her a bit confused. "Um… yes."

"Oh," she smiled.

"Be right back," he grinned. A minute later, he returned with flowers and candy.

Kelly smelled the flowers with a smile still on her face.

"So… forgiven?" Aaron asked.

Kelly smiled wider at him. Instead of answering him, she kissed him sweetly. Her arms wrapped around his neck and when the kiss broke, they embraced one another. A comfortable silence lingered between them before Aaron's stomach growled.

"I don't suppose you brought the food over," Kelly chuckled.

Aaron laughed, too. "No. I can go get something else though."

"Let's fix something together."

Aaron smiled as he took her hand in his.

After they finished with dinner, they cuddled together on the couch and listened to music play softly. Aaron put his arm around Kelly and she rested her head naturally on his chest. Once they were comfortable, he placed a kiss on her head.

A few silent moments passed before Aaron said, "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to keep saying that."

"I just hate that I hurt you. When I saw that I'd made you cry… I couldn't stand it." His arm tightened around her.

"Well, I'm sorry I pushed you like I did."

"Somebody had to." Aaron said with a smile. "I've known for a long time that I need to deal with what happened. I guess I just needed the right motivation," he said with a smile as he held her a little tighter.

She giggled, enjoying his embrace. "Glad I could be of service." She thought for a moment. "Do you want to talk about him?"

Aaron took a deep breath. He wanted to tell her but it was still difficult.

"Yeah," he breathed. "Like I said, we were close. We did stuff together all the time. He was one of my best friends. So losing him, I was losing a father but it was more than that.

"We spent so much time together and then suddenly, he wasn't there at all anymore."

Kelly thought about her mom and how it would feel to lose her. It hurt her to know that Aaron had felt that pain for 8 years.

Aaron continued with his confession. "And I've been such an ass. My dad would be pissed with the way I've acted. I've been terrible to my mother and my sister. Megan, she was eight years old when it happened. She doesn't remember too much about him and she wishes she did. But I… I've never talked about him with her." He sighed. "Which I know is not fair to her. But it just hurts so much. And my mom…" He took a moment to collect himself.

"She's the strongest woman I know. She and my dad, they really loved one another. I know it killed her to lose him. But she kept going to take care of us. And obviously I didn't make it easier for her."

"And Bobby?"

"He was off at college when it happened. He came home at first but Mom sent him back after the weekend was over. It's where he really wanted to be but, also, it's what Dad would've wanted. He was so proud to have a son in college. So Bobby got to escape and ignore what had happened and I was stuck in that town with everyone tiptoeing around me. Either that or talking my ear off with their ideas of wise advice.

"After college, Bobby moved back home. On the other hand, when I finished school, I came out here and don't go back very often. So I guess I finally escaped."

He finished with a sad tone in his voice. He focused back on Kelly and ran his fingers through her hair. Kelly closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation. His heartbeat in her ears was rhythmically lulling her to sleep.

As she could feel herself dozing, he spoke again and she opened her eyes.

"It's getting late. I should go," he said quietly.

"No," she said as he pulled away. They looked at one another before she continued. "Stay the night."

Aaron looked unsure for a moment. He wanted to but he didn't want Kelly to feel like she had to.

"Please." She took his hand in hers. Kelly didn't know how to explain it but she just couldn't let him leave.

"Okay," he smiled before cuddling with her back into the couch. They remained that way until their eyelids grew too tired and they retired to bed.

Somehow Kirsten was not nervous about Aaron staying in her bed. She was surprised, considering how concerned she was about sleeping in his.

Aaron's wall had fallen and now it felt different between them. Not weird, just… different.

So when they were ready for bed, there was no hesitation as they slid under the sheets and Kelly rested her head on Aaron's chest while he wrapped his arms around her.

Aaron pressed a kiss to her forehead. As he did so, Kelly pulled him close to her. For several moments, they held each other close before Aaron broke the silence.

"So this is _the_ room, huh?"

"Don't ruin the moment, Aaron," she giggled.

Aaron laughed. "Are we ever going to talk about that night?"

"Hopefully not."

"Oh, c'mon. Would you rather talk about the first time we met, Miss Oh-is-it-my-line?" He asked with a high pitched voice.

Kelly gasped. "I thought maybe you had done me a favor and forgot about that."

"Forgot? Ha. I could never forget that. Or the fact that you said no to me five times!"

"Well, I am sorry about that," Kelly laughed.

"I bet you are," Aaron teased.

Kelly smiled at him. "Was I worth it?"

Aaron looked at her for a moment, emotion pouring from his eyes. "You are," he stated, no hesitation in his voice.

Kelly smiled at him before slowly leaning forward to catch him in a kiss. His hand slid down toward the middle of her back while the other cradled her head.

After a moment, he whispered, "Is this okay?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

Aaron chuckled into their kiss. "It's fine by me."

Kelly giggled. "Good," she said before kissing him again.

Once they couldn't kiss any longer, they talked. Before they could run out of words, their eyelids became heavy and they slept.

Kelly had work the next day so she and Aaron woke to her alarm and made breakfast together.

Much like Aaron had been a few mornings prior, Kelly was pulled away from breakfast by a phone call from her mother. She placed a finger over her mouth, signaling for silence, which Aaron mimicked with his own hand. Kelly walked into her kitchen and began tidying as she spoke to her mother.

"Do you have work today?"

"Yes. It won't be for a little while though."

"Oh. Okay. Well, before I forget, would you get your aunt that makeup concealer stuff she likes for her for Christmas? You know I won't be able to find it up here."

"Please, Mom. You could; you just won't. There is a difference," she teased.

"Well, guilty as charged. Anyway, would you do that for me?"

"Of course."

There was a moment of silence before Kelly's mother spoke with a sudden surge of energy.

"Okay. I can't stand it anymore."

"What?"

"Guess who I talked to yesterday," she said excitedly.

"I have no idea," Kelly said, unsure about her mother's tone. She didn't get this worked up often.

"Peter. He is such a nice man."

Kelly's throat tightened and her ears got hot.

"Why did he call you?" Kelly asked, too quickly and too defensively.

It was too suspicious. She had just told Peter about her mother's lack of knowledge about Aaron. Next thing, he calls her?

"Well, I'm obviously not supposed to say anything…"

Kelly held her breath.

"But he'd like to surprise you with a party. And he wanted me to be there as well. As a surprise. But I know you don't particularly care for surprises."

"I really don't."

"I didn't think you'd mind this one quite as much."

Kelly realized that her anger with Peter was unintentionally hurting her mother.

"It's not that. It's just…" Kelly swallowed her guilt. "I'm going to be busy and if you're here, I'm going to want to spend all my time with you and I won't be able to. Besides, I'm coming home for my birthday and Thanksgiving anyway."

"Well, that's true."

"Exactly. And Peter…" she sighed. "Is bound and determined to make life difficult."

"Oh, sweetie. Don't be so hard on him. He was just trying to do something nice for you. He's always so sweet."

Kelly rolled her eyes at her mother. She wondered if Peter had this effect on all of her female relatives. Maybe it was in her genes to be played by him.

After hanging up with her mom, Kelly got dressed and ready for work. She gathered her bags on the table by the door where Aaron met her.

"You look beautiful."

Kelly shot him a look. "I'm going to work, Aaron." She smirked. "They make me look beautiful there."

"No," Aaron argued as he stepped closer to her. "You are always beautiful." He put his arms around her and she put her forehead on his chest. He pressed a kiss in to her hair as she chuckled at him.

"You've never seen me sick."

"Well, someday I will and you'll still be beautiful."

"Promise?" She smiled up at him.

"Promise." They smiled at one another before sharing a soft kiss.

"Have a good day," he smiled at her.

"Doubtful but thank you."

"Why 'doubtful'?" He asked amused.

"One word: Peter."

"Ah," Aaron said as if he understood, though he didn't. "What's he done?"

"Something that he knew would upset me." Kelly knew she couldn't tell him everything.

"Well, don't be too hard on him."

Kelly stopped what she was doing and stared at Aaron.

"That's exactly what Mom said."

"Well, I'm sure he wouldn't ever do anything just to hurt you." Aaron reasoned. "Mainly because if he ever dared, I would have to hurt him." He finished with a smile.

Kelly smiled back. "Alright. Well, I'll see you tonight?"

"If you want to," he grinned.

"Always."

Kelly arrived on set and resolved to take her mother and boyfriend's advice. She simply wouldn't talk to Peter.

Peter, however, was not compliant with this plan.

"Hey, Kelly," he said at lunch as he stood at the fridge, filling her cup with ice.

They hadn't talked all day.

"Hi," she responded.

"Are you okay?" Peter asked, cheerfully oblivious to Kelly's hostility.

Kelly gritted her teeth, willing herself to stay calm.

"Have you still not worked things out with Aaron?"

She spoke quietly. "Things are wonderful with him. Much to your disappointment, I know."

"What?" Peter tired to sound innocent but he had a feeling he knew what she meant.

"You called my mother. You tried to get her to LA without my knowledge. She thinks you are just being sweet. But I know you a little better than that, don't you think?"

"Kelly, I have no idea…"

"Don't lie to me."

He paused and looked at her. "Kelly, I'm worried." She rolled her eyes at him. "You barely know this guy. He's giving you trouble and you're lying to your mother about him. That's not you."

"Okay. Number one: I told you why Mom can't know yet. The same reason he hasn't told his family. Number two: If I have problems with Aaron, that does not give you license to go running to my mom or anyone else. Aaron and I are adults and we worked through that problem ourselves."

"Which was?"

"None of your business," she snapped defensively. "Number three: Your motives are very transparent."

"Oh, are they? I'm concerned for my friend. Since when is that such a sin?"

"Why are you so concerned, Peter? Huh? How threatening is Aaron really? What do you think you are protecting me from?"

Peter was silent. Kelly had never spoken to him like this.

"Are you going to say anything? Nothing legitimate to excuse your attempted sabotage?" He still didn't say anything.

He couldn't tell her how right she was about his motives. But he couldn't lie to her and tell her he was innocent.

"You know what? This is perfect. We just won't talk."

"Kelly…"

"No, Peter. The next time you see me, don't talk to me."

"How are we going to do that, _Kirsten_?"

"Sandy and Kirsten are on speaking terms, but Peter and Kelly aren't."

She calmly walked out of the kitchen, just as members of the cast and crew walked in.


End file.
